The Mako-Eyed Warrior
by Hero Protagonist
Summary: (INDEFINITE HIATUS/Up for adoption) Cloud wakes up on the sandy beach of a well known seaside city in Cocoon after the events of Advent Children. Only thing he knows is that he is needed here for something, but he has no clue as to what. Would he simply return to Gaia after fulfilling his duty, or would he find a reason to stay? Follows FFXIII with some changes here and there.
1. Ch 1: Rebirth

**Chapter 1: Rebirth**

 **A/N:**

I don't own any of this. :'c

 **Cloud's POV**

"I will… Never be a memory," were the last words to leave Sephiroth's wicked smile before his singular jet black wing enveloped him in a feathery cocoon.

The threat became empty to me as I began to watch each individual feather separate from the protective shell before being carried away by the wind. Kadaj immediately fell to his knees as he hit the roof of the building I stood on, making me shift my posture just in case he still had some fight in him. Unfortunately my suspicions were correct and he stood up before making a pathetic attempt to dash toward me.

He only made it four steps forward before he tripped over himself and fell into my free arm, his sword made a metallic clang as it fell from its wielder's possession.

"Brother…" he groaned as he stared into my eyes as if he were seeing me for the first time.

It was a sad sight to see, but I felt no remorse. This man had managed to bring back the darkest memory in my head without care for how much pain and suffering he would've caused had he been successful. Not a single bone in my body felt sorry for the remnant as his inevitable fate caught up with him. If I killed him now this would all end once and for all, but something stops me. I feel a warm presence, the same warm presence that allowed me to realize what I had done to myself and those around me these past few months.

Water lands on Kadaj's face as rain begins to pour from the clouds above despite the sunlight that was still striking both of us. The remnant begins to look past me, shifting his gaze toward the heavens.

"Mother, is that…?" He whispers to seemingly no one at a volume only I can hear.

His expression of pain becomes one of what looks to be joy as he begins to raise his hand up into the air. After a final breath the remnant's body slowly transforms back into the lifestream we are all made of, leaving behind green lights when he completely disappears.

The weather shows no signs of changing as rain continues to fall, and for once, I allow myself to be at peace. I pay no mind to the fresh wounds I acquired during my final battle as I stare up at the emerald colored lights moving in a myriad of different patterns. I listen to the sound of my slow breathing before shifting my gaze to the airship hanging gracefully in the sky.

I know all of my companions are up there, waiting. Everything I've done, this strength I've found, it all wouldn't exist without them. I had selfishly distanced myself away from them in an effort to help, but little did I know that I was the one who needed helping. I'll do my best to make sure that never happens again.

It's all over, there is nothing left to do but go home and make sure I buy the first round for everyone. For now though, I close my eyes and let the elements caress my face. The sun feels warmer than usual, and the air was fresher than I could ever remember. I had finally found the place where I belong. This was ho-

A curse escapes my lips as I feel pain erupt in my chest before I hear the distinct sound of a gunshot behind me. The shock is enough to send me down on one knee as I try to cope with the immense agony I was in. All the feeling in the wounds that Sephiroth had left came rushing back to me only amplifying the pain.

"We'll go together…" I hear the distinct sound of Yazoo's voice from behind me before he drops his weapon.

"Together, we'll play…" Loz chokes out in agreement.

Instinct takes over, and I lose control of my body as I struggle to stand up. Letting out a fierce battle cry I turn around and sprint toward the source of my suffering paying little mind to the blade in my hand scraping across the rooftop.

The last of the remnants raise their arms showcasing the materia they stole from me as they conjure up a fiery blast. I should be running the other way, finding a way to avoid this but my body presses on causing me to leap into the air with my sword held above my head. I want nothing more than to chop these two in half but my opportunity never comes, and the explosion hits me head on.

I don't know how much time had passed, but I felt my consciousness return to me. It felt like I was floating and everything around me was… warm. Did I survive the blast? Am I currently being blown away by it? Am I dead? My eyes refuse to open and take in my surroundings, but for some reason I find comfort in that. In fact, I don't have a care in the world in this void of the unknown. Part of me wants to just lay here forever and forget the passage of time.

The feeling of someone's hand touching my forehead breaks me from my trance, but my eyes still refuse to open. Like before, I feel the lack of control over my body. I'm not frightened this time, and the hand on my head is connected to an even warmer presence. One I have definitely felt before.

"Mother?" I hear myself ask seemingly out of the blue.

"Again?" I hear the distinct sound of a woman's voice that I know I've heard before but I can't seem to match a face to it. "Why is everyone calling me their mother lately?"

I find myself feeling sorry for not having an answer.

"I guess they must be fond of you." A male voice replies for me. I've heard this voice before too, but I still can't place it with anyone.

"We can't take this one yet. He still has something important to do." The feminine voice states calmly making me feel slightly disappointed in myself.

"Tough luck, friend. Sounds like you don't have a place here," the male voice continues.

"As if I have never felt that before," I think aloud, but the words fall on deaf ears and soon I feel myself falling.

* * *

It seems I can't catch a single break as I awaken feeling more pain rack throughout my body. I'm able to cough three times before sitting up and turning to my right to dump the contents of my stomach all over the… sand? The soft grains confirm my suspicion by shifting under my weight while I try to steady myself. The ringing in my ears subsides and is quickly replaced by the sound of the ocean as it laps at the shores of a beach.

Costa del Sol _?_ I ask myself before the serene sounds of nature are blocked out by those of the people around me. Some were hooting and hollering, enjoying their time wherever I was but nearby I heard soft whispers. Finally realizing I had complete control over my body, my eyes open before instantly shutting closed as the bright sunlight overhead makes its radiant presence known.

"Hey, are you alright?" I hear a woman ask in a stern yet caring voice.

I open my eyes again, this time a bit slower to let my eyes adjust to the brilliant light. Instead of seeing the sun this time, I see two brown orbs staring back down at me with curiosity. The woman who voiced her question stood slightly over me as she got to her feet and I slowly do the same, ending up as the slightly taller one.

The attire she wore was definitely for the beach, her lazily buttoned long sleeve shirt was held in place by a purple and gold halter top that resembled the top of a bikini. She wore what looked to be half of a skirt that matched with her top, and black stockings that lead into her red shoes.

I stared at her a little longer than I would've liked, but I wasn't too surprised to find that she was staring at me with the same expression I had. We both looked slightly outlandish to each other, and as soon as I turned my head I realized the small circle of people around us felt the same way about me. I was still in the same dark clothing I wore during my fight with Sephiroth, but I quickly realized that all my injuries were healed. The weight I felt on my back let me know I had all of the pieces of my fusion sword in their respective places.

Finally taking the time to take in my surroundings, it was evident that this was not Costa del Sol. The beach still went on for as far as the eye could see, but that's where the similarities stopped. There was a few, albeit small, wooden piers that extended slightly out into the ocean, but they were overshadowed by a large concrete one in the distance that connected a building to the land.

A few buildings sat a good distance away from the shore and behind them sat some kind of curved wall that made me wonder if it was a tunnel of some sort. The buildings themselves included a cafe that helped me notice that my throat was dry and my stomach was empty. It probably wouldn't be 7th heaven, but I'd eat a whole chocobo at this point.

Seeing that the people around me weren't going to stop staring any time soon, I began walking out of their little circle which someone immediately broke as I stepped toward them.

"You're not even going to thank her?" A voice yelled from behind me.

I turned around to find a man with flaming red hair giving me what I assumed to be his best attempt at some kind of intimidating look. My continued silence only irritated him further and he began to take a few steps toward me. Conflict wasn't the first thing I wanted to happen after waking up on the shore of some unknown city, but if he was looking for a fight then he was about to find one.

"Gadot calm down! It's no big deal!" The woman from before exclaimed before pulling him away by his arm.

"No big deal Lebreau? You saved his life and he just walks away!" He fumed.

Quickly putting two and two together I realized that what he said was probably true. She had probably given me CPR which was why I woke up in the first place.

"Thanks." I say dryly which puts a smile on Lebreau's face.

"See, was that so hard?" Gadot asked still trying to get a reaction from me, but I ignore the comment and continue toward my initial destination only to be stopped again.

"Hey you dropped this!"

Turning around once more, I find a blonde haired boy who had a toolbelt around his waist and goggles on his head. He wore more clothes than the last two people combined and had an excited smile on his face. In earnest, he didn't look that young but he definitely wasn't an adult yet.

I swiped the pouch of materia that he held in his outstretched hand a little faster than I would've liked to, making him flinch slightly. The smile on his lips died almost immediately, but he didn't say anything.

"Thanks," the word fell out of my mouth again, making who I assumed to be a teen smile.

"No problem!" Was his jovial reply. "With how quick you took that out of my hand I guess it's pretty important to you huh?

I nod before I return the pouch to my pocket and continue heading toward the cafe. The pouch in question was given to me by Tifa who had received it from Yuffie when she arrived during our fight against Bahamut SIN. Luckily the pouch remained closed, the teen could've accidentally caused some havoc had he opened it and taken too close of a look.

Along with the materia, some gil was in my possession but it certainly wasn't a lot. I'm sure it would probably be enough to stay somewhere for a night or two and eat while I got my bearings. I remembered the conversation the ethereal woman and man had while I was floating, it replayed in my head over and over again. What important thing did I have to do? How would I know when I had done it?

Letting my current needs take priority, I decide that those questions would have to wait for now. The only thing I want is for people to stop talking to me so I could get something in my body to prevent myself from passing out again. My prayers go unheard as I hear someone begin to run to meet up with me as I ascended the handful of steps to the cafe.

"Hungry?" It was Lebreau again.

I hold in my exasperated sigh as she matches my pace toward the building. I'm thankful that she made sure I didn't die in water so I let her fascination with me continue. Letting the direction we were walking in answer her question for me, I opt to stay silent as we walk through the entrance.

"I'll cook you something up, on the house!" she said cheerfully, and to my surprise, before heading behind the counter and getting to work.

Taking the seat closest to the counter, I watch her as she cooks. My tired muscles thank me as they relax a bit before a plate of hot food is presented in front of me along with an orange colored beverage. I eyeball it for a second, not wanting to show just how hungry I actually was.

"I was going to pour you a tall glass of water, but judging by how you were on the beach, I'd guess that you've already had your fill." She laughed, causing me to crack a smile which I hide by wolfing down what was on my plate.

"I guess almost dying works up an appetite." Lebreau playfully added in what I assumed was an attempt to keep her one-sided conversation going.

If almost dying makes people hungry then I must be famished considering I can count the amount of times I've almost died in the past few hours on two hands.

"Thank you," I finally take the time to say now that the plate and glass in front of me were empty. The meal was a lot tastier than I expected, but I couldn't tell if it was Lebreau's cooking or my hunger that added the flavor.

"It's nothing! If you want I can get you some more." She seemed all too happy to keep me around.

"Hey Lebreau, didn't Snow say something about not giving free food to every guy you have a crush on?" A new voice chimed in from the entrance.

"No Yuj, I don't think he did." The raven haired woman's smile turned into a smirk before she continued, "I do remember him telling you something about slacking off, and last I checked, it's your shift."

"You got me there," he laughs before walking behind the counter and into my view.

The newcomer's hair was long, going slightly past his shoulders, and a vibrant shade of blue. Feathers decorated his attire making me think that he probably spent more time thinking out what to wear than the other people I've met so far. A smile seemed to be plastered on his face as he got to work cleaning before stopping to stare at me.

"What's his name anyway?" He asked his friend despite the fact that I sat directly in front of him.

Lebreau clearly took a second to think before she probably realized that the only things I've said to her so far were thanks and thank you.

"Cloud," I answer before she gets a second to ask me the same question.

"No fair!" She pouted, "How come you told him your name but not me?"

"You never asked," came my reply in a flat tone which amused Yuj.

"Never seen you around Bodhum before, where abouts on Cocoon are you from?" He asked, getting back to work while Lebreau took a seat next to me.

I wasn't about to sign off on a conversation with these two with the important things I had to do looming over my head, but it was obvious that they had some useful information. First off, I had to find where 'Bodhum' was on a map since I've never heard of this place before, secondly what is 'Cocoon', and lastly I need to find out if anything big was going to happen soon. Unfortunately, not all places had something like Meteor hanging in the sky letting the people below know they were doomed. In this instance, I kind of wish they did so I'd at least know where to point my sword.

"Edge," was the reply I came to immediately regret on account of the two workers giving me a look like I'd just grown a second head.

Lebreau was quick to bounce back though, "When you say 'Edge', you don't mean the Hanging Edge, right?"

"No, of course not." I respond hastily, with that kind of question giving the right answer was a complete coin flip. The look on her face made me lean toward no, and the sigh of relief that came from her lips let me know I chose correctly.

"You had me worried for a sec there," she laughed, "If you were from the Hanging Edge that would mean you were centuries old."

Making a mental note of that, I shift in my seat slightly before deciding that this conversation was probably over. I'm not willing to put in more effort to get a small return, more questions would answer themselves if I just got up and looked around the rest of this seaside city. The sun signified that it was sometime in the afternoon, and I probably had enough time to explore a bit before it got dark.

Before I get a chance to stand up, Yuj asks another question that makes me have a little more confidence that this small talk would go somewhere.

"Did you come out here just to see the fireworks festival? The swords on your back make me think you came here for other business."

"I'm a delivery boy." This answer seemed like enough to convince both of them.

Before the conversation got any further than that, I heard the sound of heavy boots enter the small cafe. This time I didn't bother to wait for the person to come into view and I turned my body to see them. The stranger was a tall man, probably a foot taller than me, whose clothing consisted of baggy black pants, a cream colored trench coat, a white shirt, and a black beanie. Like the rest of the people I met, save for the one with red hair, he had a smile on his face. People really didn't have anything to worry about here. Must be nice.

"Oh god, the boss is back." Lebreau pointed out with a slight groan in her voice.

"Come on guys, I'm not THAT bad am I?" He threw his hands up in mock innocence before leaning against the counter next to us.

"The worst!" Yuj yells from his position in the back of the room.

The blonde shook his head before letting out a sigh, "Always trying to make me look bad in front of new customers."

"Hey now, that's not true. You do that yourself with the scruff on your face," the raven haired woman sitting next to me teased before her boss pushed her off of the stool.

Stealing the seat he had just pushed Lebreau off of, he shifted his attention toward me, "That's a lot of fancy swords you have there…" he waited, hoping that I'd fill in my name for him. Naturally I didn't, but Lebreau was more than happy to do so.

"Cloud huh?" He paused for a second, directing his gaze upward as he seemed to think it over a bit, "Can't say that's any worse than Lightning."

"Yikes! Don't let her or Serah hear that." The blue-haired employee warned causing the light-haired man to laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't." He addressed before turning his attention back toward me, "I'm Snow."

That name almost caused me to fall out of my chair after hearing his comment about mine. I don't think you can really point out the unusualness of someone else's name when your name was just as bizarre.

Hoping for a fast exit, I allowed the silence between us to grow, but I didn't get my wish.

"So, do you know how to use them?" Snow asked as he propped his elbow on the counter and leaned on his fist.

I simply raised an eyebrow at that question. There was no way he seriously thought that I carried around this much weaponry without having a clue how to use it.

"I'll take that as a yes," he smiled before sitting up straight and taking up a more serious tone. "Listen. Us three," he pointed to himself and his two employees, "Are a part of a group called NORA. We make sure it's safe around here and I was wondering if you'd be willing to help us out during the fireworks festival. Wouldn't want the wildlife to get too curious when there are lots of people visiting."

It took a lot to stop myself from audibly scoffing at them once I heard they, 'made sure it was safe'. All three of them hardly looked the part, but I'd be more than willing to take their money. Plus, if anything did show up around here, then I could actually protect the people. Finally things were going somewhere.

"What's in it for me?" I confidently ask.

"In it for you?" He looked almost appalled as he heard those words come out of my mouth before straightening up once more. "Well, you get to be a hero, and that should be its own reward."

Seriously? I shake my head before finally getting up from my seat, "Not interested."

"Hey, hold on a second!" The self-proclaimed 'hero' stops me before I walk out. "Where are you staying? Just in case I change my mind."

"Nowhere, I came out here for a delivery and now I'm leaving." I lie, trying to attract as little attention as possible.

"You mean you're not staying for the festival?" All three of them ask in unison.

"Tell you what," Snow began. "We'll give you a place to stay and three free meals each day from today until the day after the festival, but you have to join NORA and two days after the festival you have pick up stuff from Palumpolum for us for free. Seeing as you do deliveries already, that last one shouldn't be too hard."

He laid the offer in front of me with a cocky smile. Part of me wanted to walk away just to remove the expression on his face, but the more practical part reminded me that I had nothing to bargain with. I didn't have my bike to go look elsewhere, and I didn't have enough money to pay for both food and shelter for too long. This would give me the opportunity to get to know this place a bit better before I had to do things on my own.

"Works for me." I agree, "Where am I staying?"

"Lebreau will show you," he said before walking out and heading down the beach with his hands behind his head.

* * *

The place I was staying wasn't too far away from the cafe, and I was able to take a look at what was on the other side of the tunnel. Various buildings greeted me with lots of lights symbolizing this place as even more of a tourist attraction. There was a large circular plaza where many people congregated in between the buildings and the tunnel separating the area from the beach.

I made some mental notes of several locations while Lebreau told me more about NORA and what exactly they did. I'd be staying at the house where they stayed, and with me showing up it made six of us. Six was a number much smaller than I initially expected, but after seeing some people in military uniforms I realized they weren't exactly alone. From what I gathered it seemed like these people were basically vigilantes looking for adventure. Why the military didn't get in their way was beyond me, but that was neither here nor there. The only positive thing out of this briefing was that if I claimed to be working with NORA, people wouldn't be so suspicious about my weapons.

Their house was a bit bigger than I expected for a vigilante organization being funded by a cafe. I was concerned that I'd have to share a room with others, but apparently they had a guest room free since Gadot, Yuj, and Maqui liked to sleep in the living room. Strange, but I didn't bother to ask why, might as well just take it without a second thought. They had a small kitchen area directly to the left of the entrance, and the living area in question was to the right. Both were slightly partitioned off by furniture.

The door to the room I'd be staying in was in the far right corner of the main room and I headed to it immediately. All of the others were still out with the sun still on the horizon, but the crippling weight of exhaustion had consumed me.

"Well, I'm heading back to the cafe. Gotta make sure Yuj doesn't burn down the place," Lebreau said as she saw me walk toward the door. "If you need anything, you can always find one of us over there."

I nodded before smiling slightly and walking into the guest room. It was as standard as anyone could expect, a bed sat against the far wall with a window behind the headboard. Next to the bed was a nightstand with a lamp sitting on top of it, and across from it against the wall connected to the door was a large desk.

My heavy boots landing on what looked like a wooden floor was the only sound in the room as I walked over to the desk. Sleeping on sharp metal objects wasn't exactly ideal so I began removing my equipment. Realizing it would be much easier to set aside, I decided to combine the blades of my Fusion Sword before propping it against the desk.

I began with the First Sword, it being the largest and main foundation of my weapon. Freeing it from the sleeve on the harness that I wore over my back, I held it in front of me to examine its symmetrical blade for a minute or two. My clothes were fixed and my wounds were healed when I arrived, so there was no reason to believe that nothing else hadn't changed.

Satisfied, I then brought the Hollow Sword up to bear. It was the piece I turned to when the First Sword was unavailable for whatever reason. After inspecting it briefly I slotted it into its place, ruining the symmetry the main piece had. Now one side had much more surface area to it, making it the front of my weapon.

I made sure to look over the remaining pieces which consisted of two side blades and two back blades. The side blades were mirror images of each other with similarity to daggers when it came to size, they had a mechanism that allowed me to fold their handles like a switchblade. The back blades were long swords that were also mirror images of each other. They both had a saw toothed edge on one side and a flat edge on the other. Aptly named, the side blades went on the sides of the First Sword, and the back blades went on the back to bring together the appearance of a buster sword.

With that task complete, I removed the harness on my back and tossed it on top of the weapon. Before the piece of equipment was able to land, the soft mattress of the bed had already finished greeting my tired body. Being able to finally rest after the fight with Sephiroth was probably the greatest gift I have ever been given. Or so I thought.

Suddenly waking up in an unknown place and meeting several different… personalities… had taken my mind off of everything. The exhaustion I felt, the pain, all the events leading up to the final battle against Sephiroth, but everything included all the good things too. My friends and the idea of family that Tifa seemed to love so much were gone too. Part of me wanted to believe that I had still woken up somewhere on Gaia, but the people here didn't seem to know what or where Edge was. They referred to this place as Cocoon, a name I had never heard before in my timing traveling around Gaia.

I wanted to believe I'd see them all again, the smiles on their faces now that the reason for the Geostigma was gone, but I wasn't so sure that my wish could ever come true. It was pretty obvious that the things I had asked for so far went unanswered, but they also lead to good things. There was a roof over my head, and food in my stomach so I had some positives. Problem is, throughout my life things never seemed to go my way. I wasn't about to believe that would change.

Sleep couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

 **A/N:** Chapter one down, so many more to go. To start off this author's note I want to give a humongous shout out and thank you to iLady A. Without her pushing and prodding, this story would simply not exist. So thank you to her for supporting this idea from the beginning. She is working on an amazing CloudxLight fic titled "I'll Never Forget" and I highly recommend it.

I also want to give a shout out to wolf777 for being supportive and for giving me some helpful feedback. He is also working on a CloudxLight fic called "A Stormy Reunion" which is another read I would highly recommend.

I would be lost without the help of those two skilled writers so if you get a chance please throw some support their way.

I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story, this is my first attempt at an FF fanfic and a fanfic of this size. Please review if you have a moment, I love feedback whether negative or positive. If you liked what you've seen so far, feel free to drop a favorite or a follow because there will be much more to come!

Until next chapter, peace.


	2. Ch 2: Fireworks

**Chapter 2: Fireworks**

 **Cloud's POV**

 _CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

 _What the he-_

"Wake up sleepy head!" A very energized Lebreau shouted over the loud metallic sound of pots and pans slamming together.

 _You can't be serious_ , I thought as my eyelids reluctantly pried themselves apart. Sure enough, there was a raven-haired cook with a smile on her face standing over my bed.

"Go away," I groan before turning my body away from her.

"Oh? Perhaps an encore?" I could almost hear the stupid grin on her face.

"Slam those things again and your next performance will be in the nearest graveyard," I threaten before sending a death glare her way.

Those words do little for me, and next thing I know she is taking in a deep breath while the pieces of cookware get further and further from each other. The loud smash never comes, but that's because I darted out of bed and headed straight for her. Being prepared, Lebreau was able to just step out of my reach and she childishly stuck her tongue out at me when her goal was achieved.

"If you're in NORA you have to get up when the rest of us do. No slacking!" She lectured before leaving my room. A second later her head popped through the door again, "Also thanks for not locking the door, makes my job much easier."

She takes my silence as a sign to go back to cooking in the kitchen, and I'm left alone in my room again. I wasn't able to recall exactly when I had fallen asleep, but my body certainly thanked me for however long I had rested.

Stretching and letting out a yawn, I dawn the equipment I had placed on the desk across from my bed. I even went out of my way to complete the tedious task of disassembling the Fusion Sword and putting every piece in its respective resting place. While it was boring, it helped me get into the rhythm of waking up which made the idea of going back to bed less and less attractive.

I had saved myself from whatever awful noise Lebreau had planned If I didn't get up, and something told me that she wouldn't hesitate if I feel back asleep. She seemed like the type of person who'd go as far as to dunk ice cold water on someone to rouse them from their slumber. The beach was nearby; she could make that happen.

A minute or two later I headed into the living area of the house where the members of NORA sat around a coffee table on various couches. All except Snow looked in the same tired state that I assumed my face held earlier. Guess even the standing members of the group still needed an alarm clock from time to time.

"Do you sleep with those things?" Snow gestured to the blades on my back with a smile on his face. The smile promptly died when I refused to humor him. "You really don't talk much," he pointed out

Feeling that I should give some sort of response, I simply shrugged.

"See? No respect!" Gadot shouted, giving me a dirty look as he did so.

Lebreau had told me that he was a part of NORA when she had initially shown me the house. Luckily he had hadn't been around when I got here, and since I went to my room almost instantly, I avoided any chance of running into him. When I walked into his view this morning he seemed to give me a hard stare but said nothing. Something told me that he would've said something instantly, but his teammates had probably told him to do otherwise while I was asleep.

Now that he had a chance to start something with me again, he took the opportunity immediately. Can't say I was surprised. People like him were all the same, too boneheaded to let anything go even if it was for the good of the group.

I showed my interest in this conflict by letting out a sigh before walking across the room and sitting on one of the stools at the counter their kitchenette had to separate it from the rest of the room.

"Leave him alone Gadot," Lebreau commanded in an irritated voice as she served me breakfast. "Cloud is in our group now so get used to it."

"Which is exactly what I don't get," the red haired man fired back. "Boss, you never explained why he was here in the first place. There are already a lot more of the Corps in Bodhum than usual. We don't need someone else to help protect everyone."

"You never know. Just because there are more here doesn't mean it's safer, it could mean they need more people because it's become more dangerous." Snow cooly replied.

To my surprise, what Snow said had some truth to it, not that I agreed with him. Units could be moved to make sure something goes smoothly, but there could also be a reason why someone in command wouldn't be confident enough to avoid sending reinforcements.

The leader of NORA continued, "If they have more people here, then it makes sense for NORA to have more people as well. You know the Corps can't handle everything on their own." This statement was said with so much confidence it was obnoxious, but it didn't stop there. "Remember that time we saved Lightning and a few others? They need us to watch their backs. If they have more people, then we need someone else to make sure they stay safe. Even the military needs heroes."

The small shred of respect I had for Snow was eviscerated by those last two sentences. His voice told all to me, he believed the stuff that came out of his mouth one-hundred percent. The way he said that the military needed NORA to make sure they were safe is what really got to me. A whole military unit apparently needed a cocky idiot, a boneheaded idiot, a fashionista, a child, and Lebreau to make sure things went smoothly. Him actually believing he was some sort of hero almost made me shatter the glass of water I had in my grip.

My discomfort must've been evident in my expression which caused Lebreau to give me a look of concern.

"You alright?" She asked.

"I need to get some air," I hastily replied before standing up from my seat. "Thanks for breakfast."

I knew she didn't buy my excuse, but the raven-haired woman didn't press any further as I walked out the front door. The cool morning air was quick to greet me as I walked away from the house, but I paid little mind to it as my musings continued. I hadn't expected NORA to be a group of well trained individuals, but I also had given them the benefit of the doubt since they sounded more organized when I was first told about them. Instead I had signed up to babysit children that thought they were capable of defending hundreds of other people.

The group of vigilantes was so outlandish in my head that it almost reminded me of AVALANCHE. I wish I hadn't bothered thinking too far into it though, because I instantly saw similarities between Barret and Snow. The burly man with a gun-arm had taken it upon himself to save the entire planet from Shinra, a corporation who was Gaia's largest energy supplier and military force. His idea was beyond crazy, yet we had achieved it.

I had even grown to respect Barret throughout our long journey despite not always seeing eye to eye. Comparing him to Snow felt somewhat like an insult, but I also felt like the two of them would probably get along. A chilling thought to say the least.

There was one glaring difference between the party I had gathered to fight Sephiroth and the one the self-proclaimed "hero" had to defend the people of Bodhum. We all had experience. Well, everyone except for maybe Aeris, but she was an ancient. I hadn't seen any weapons on the members of NORA, just a lot of talk and hardheadedness. Snow would probably lose a duel to a new-born chocobo chick with his cocky attitude.

"WATCH OUT!"

In the nick of time I jumped backward to avoid getting hit by some odd oncoming vehicles. There were two of them and they each had a seat that would only hold one rider. Both were propelled by some sort of fuel that burned a bright green and it allowed them to levitate. They kind of looked somewhat like futuristic motorcycles, but they emitted virtually no sound which was why I was almost hit by them.

If their vehicles could levitate, why were they flying so close to the ground? I never would get to ask that questions as the riders, who wore what looked like military armor with many lights, simply kept on going toward their destination.

These weren't the first soldiers I'd seen since coming to Bodhum. There were many others stationed around the seaside city that Lebreau had referred to as the Guardian Corps. However, these riders were in different uniforms than the ones I had seen since arriving. They wore crimson armor and had bucklers attached to one of their arms, while the ones I saw in the city wore gray armor and lacked shields. Their helmets were different too. The crimson soldiers wore helmets that resembled gas masks, and the gray soldiers wore helmets of a different design.

Shaking off the random encounter, I made my way toward the large mall that seemed to attract people like moths to a flame. I didn't think I would actually buy anything, but it couldn't hurt to look around. A few people that looked to be in military uniforms didn't even attempt to hide that they were glaring at me behind their helmets. Bringing sharp objects to an area full of civilians and valuables probably wasn't the best idea, but I tried to always have my weapons on hand. Waking up in a different world wouldn't change that habit.

It felt like there were hundreds of people out shopping today, and the wide open area in between rows of stores seemed to accommodate them well. It was obvious that this place lived off of the rush of tourism. The stark contrast in what people wore gave away that they came from different places. However, there were two women in particular that caught my eye.

One was taller than the other and wore a blue garment that wrapped around her left shoulder and went diagonally across her back before flowing downward toward her right ankle. I could see feathers hanging slightly on the side of her right hip which reminded me of Yuj's own fashion. The amount of exposed skin along with her dark hair color reminded me of Lebreau, but the air of confidence about her was much stronger than that of the member of NORA. The person she was with was a bit shorter than her, had red hair, and dressed similarly to her companion.

Normally I wouldn't have thought much of it, but when my eyes fell on them they stuck out like a sore thumb. Sure there were plenty different tastes in clothing being showcased around me, but I had seen multiple different groups of people dressed similarly. The choice of clothing these two women wore wasn't replicated by anyone else.

I shook my head before returning to looking around the mall. If I was stopping to look at people's fashion choices, it was clear that I had way too much time on my hands. That was no surprise though, shopping was never my thing. Tifa was the one who would usually take care of any day to day purchases we needed for the bar or for the kids. That was one of the small things I promised myself that I would help with once I found a way to cure the Geostigma. Being sent to another world shows how well I was destined to keep my promises.

If there was one thing I was curious to see here, it was what kind of Materia that Cocoon would have for sale. However, after entering and exiting a few stores, my search came up empty. Quite the surprise considering the size of the shopping center, with multiple weapon shops I reasoned I'd find at least something. Slightly disappointed, I headed out of the immediate shopping area and contemplated what to do next.

Having to think of how to spend my time was almost foreign to me. As soon as I was able to, I signed up for the military in hopes of becoming SOLDIER so I could impress Tifa. Free time didn't really exist and your superiors made sure of that. After I returned to Midgar I got wrapped up in AVALANCHE and that lead to chasing Sephiroth around Gaia. Making sure your entire world didn't get destroyed tended to eat every waking hour of your time.

Once I defeated Sephiroth for the first time, Gaia was gifted two years of reconstruction. During those two years I rebuilt my life along with not only my friends, but all of those who used to live in Midgar. We created Edge together, and I began what Tifa affectionately and uncreatively named, "Strife Delivery Service". When I wasn't delivering packages I was helping run the bar. Then the Geostigma showed up and I was traveling all over Gaia again. It was safe to say that I always had something to do.

Coming back to the present, I realized I had just been frozen like a statue in between the crowds of entering and exiting shoppers. A few people stared at me with curiosity for a second or two as they passed, but as soon as I was out of their immediate field of view, any interest they had disappeared.

Returning to my previous task of deciding what to do, I began to weigh my options. The cafe would probably be open by now, but the idea of talking to anyone from NORA was about as attractive as kissing Jenova's head. Well, Lebreau didn't seem so bad. I mean, she had saved my life, but if she believed what Snow said then she was walking on thin ice. The whole life saving was probably why I cut her some slack.

All the excitement of those around me reminded me that today was the day of the fireworks festival which seemed to be the one thing all these people were here for. That meant I was on patrol duty as soon as the sun neared the horizon. With the little knowledge I had of this place, I decided I might as well start patrolling early. Of course that meant having to head back to NORA house and asking where exactly I was supposed to be patrolling.

My walk back was shortened almost immediately as I heard Snow call my name. My eyes followed the sound of his voice and I found him waving me over with a stupid grin on his face. He was standing under one of the various palm trees near a road that I assumed went out of Bodhum.

The tall blonde was accompanied by a woman that was much shorter than him and she sported a bright pink hair color. As soon as I made my way over he introduced me to his companion.

"Hey, Cloud! I want you to meet my girlfriend, Serah." I could taste the excitement, and I was baffled that this guy had managed to get a girlfriend. Then again, he had convinced four others to play "hero" with him so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

"Hi Cloud, it's nice to meet you!" The woman said cheerfully before bowing slightly with her hands clasped behind her back. "Snow tells me that you're the new member of NORA."

She seemed nice enough, but I simply smiled and nodded in response before shifting my attention back to her 'boyfriend'.

"Speaking of which, where am I supposed to be patrolling?" I asked immediately to make sure this conversation wasn't longer than it had to be.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk about." He replied before digging into one of his pockets and producing a phone which he handed to me. "It's Yuj's, but he'll be working at the cafe with Lebreau so if anything happens she'll let him know."

I pressed the button at the bottom of the screen and it lit up with life, displaying many different things to select. I quickly found an option that simply said, "Map".

"If you lose it he won't forgive you," Snow chuckled. "If anything happens Maqui will call you and let you know. The most monster activity is out in the outskirts of town, so that's where I want you to be tonight before the festival starts. Check it out, make sure it's clear, and then come back. If anything does appear we'll hear it through Guardian Corps radio comms."

I nodded as I took in this information before looking down at the map displayed on the phone. My initial assumption was right and if I just followed this road I'd eventually find myself at the outer edge of this city. It was a decent distance away, but the walk there and back would serve as a great way to burn some time.

Without as much as a goodbye, I began walking toward my patrol area. I was definitely going to be working early, but it would be smart to familiarize myself with the area so I'd know where to look if I was ever called to action.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **Later that day, moments before the festival.**

 **Lightning's POV**

Guard duty during the fireworks festival was definitely not uncommon, but I had been unlucky enough to be chosen this year. The silver lining to this situation was that I at least had a good view of the explosions in the night sky.

My rank meant I had command over a group of units the Guardian Corps had stationed in my patrol area. This included the mall and the area between the mall and the beach. I picked a secluded spot to rendezvous with the squad I had been given and headed straight there. Despite my attempt to make it there first, they had all arrived before me and I heard the buzz of conversation in full swing as I grew closer. Normally I'd demand their attention as soon as they were in earshot. Their voices would become whispers before they turned dead silent, but this time something was said that even I had to hear more about.

"Have you guys seen NORA's newest member?" A male's voice inquired.

"The guy dressed in all black that walks around with way too many swords on his back?" A female soldier asked.

"Yeah, that's the one." The male answered, "The all black clothing with spikey hair makes him look like a walking cliché if you ask me."

Cliché huh? That word described NORA to a T. Guess it's no surprise that a 'walking cliché' would join them.

"Cliché or not," a new voice chimed in, "I wouldn't want to get on his bad side. He walked past me at the mall while I was off duty and something about him just screamed power. Despite his small build, I'd say he would drop even Amodar in a one on one."

"That's enough!" I shout causing them all to jump despite only three of them being in the conversation. I directed their attention to the task at hand, "I want three fourths of you stationed in the mall while the rest stay outside. We have a reputation to uphold so keep your eyes and ears open."

My units began to move into action, but I stopped them by barking one last thing. "If anything happens tonight because you were all too busy ogling some new kid, it'll be all of your asses!"

With that I headed to the position I had set for myself to patrol. I didn't give anyone a chance to respond, but that was the idea. Some newcomer that was capable of beating Amodar in a fight that would willingly join NORA? I'd believe it when I saw it.

I didn't want to dwell on such a stupid notion anymore than I already had, so I diverted my attention to the first few fireworks of the festival. The colorful explosions lit up the night sky in such a way that even rivaled the beauty of the moon. I was never big on the festivals in Bodhum, but then again I never really had a chance to enjoy them. Forcing yourself to grow up for the sake of someone else meant getting ready to make plenty of sacrifices. Not that I minded, Serah means the world to me, and seeing her enjoy herself during these events brought enough self satisfaction. I just wished I could be with her right now, but being on duty made that possibility nonexistent. Can't afford to have distractions when something could happen any minute.

They said these fireworks granted wishes, and part of me wanted to believe that. It was probably something said to attract more people, but if they did grant wishes, what would I wish for? I already knew the answer to my own hypothetical question. I'd wish to be able to spend more time with Serah. She was probably so alone, and that was probably why she was dating someone like Snow in the first place. Maybe I could find some other work, something that still paid enough to support both of us, but left me more time to spend with my sister.

"You look dreamy, Farron!" I hear Lieutenant Amodar announce loudly as he moved to a spot right next to me.

He must've snuck up on me when I was lost in thought, and I chided myself while trying to keep my composure at the same time. It was obvious I had lost myself in my own world, something I told myself I wouldn't do. The look he gave me told me my attempt to keep my composure failed, but he simply turned to look at the explosions in the sky.

"Wishing on fireworks were ya?" He asks in a stern voice before looking back down at me and laughing his friendly laugh. "And you call yourself a soldier!" A smile stayed on his lips as he teased me.

Chuckling a little, I look down at my boots for a second as I realize that I had gotten lost in the superstition that I said I didn't believe in. Now I understood why everyone believed that legend.

"Sorry, Lieutenant." I find myself smiling for a second as I salute before I continue, "But I really don't think guard duty is my calling, sir." I bow as I apologize. After getting manners toward your superiors drilled into your head over and over, they become second nature.

This only seemed to amuse Lieutenant Amodar as he pushed my forehead up with his finger, "Well lucky for you, your shift just ended. Pack it up and go home."

That was odd. There was still plenty of time left in the night, and by proxy, my shift. My superior was a kind-hearted person, but I didn't wish to leave him on guard duty for the rest of the night while I had fun.

Before I knew it, I found myself voicing my confusion, "But, sir…"

"PSICOM found something in the Vestige nearby," he explained in a now serious tone. "They don't want the Guardian Corps here stepping on their toes." Pausing for a second, he continued, "I'm sure you heard about the accident at the Euride Gorge Energy Planet and how it has the PSICOM lads in a tissy."

Of course I had heard about it, but there wasn't much information on it. There were more rumors than anything since PSICOM kept all their stuff covered in black ink.

"Yeah." I answer, "More incident than accident." Knowing a little too much could always be dangerous, but I felt like there was something my superior wasn't telling me. Taking a chance I decide to ask more, "Something Pulse related?"

The reaction I got was one I had expected, but I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Lieutenant Amodar shifted uncomfortably a bit before letting out an uneasy laugh and changing the subject. "You're taking tomorrow off?"

"Sir. For my birthday, sir." I answer, "My sister, she… insisted on it."

His smile returned, "twenty-one huh?" Pausing for a second, he seems to think something over before resting his hand on my shoulder. "Maybe it's a good time to send off that letter of recommendation for officer training."

I'm surprised for a moment as I hear him say that and I can feel my eyes light up slightly. "Lieutenant?" I ask, just to make sure he was serious.

"You're past due for a promotion, Farron. Think of your sister, and your future." He says before adding something as if it were an afterthought, "And uh, stay out of trouble."

"Out of PSICOM business you mean." I see through my superior's careful choice of words.

"Yeah, nothing good will come of it." His tone grew somber, "Nothing but grief."

In an attempt to change the subject he turned his attention back to the fireworks in front of us. While I knew he meant to cheer me up and keep my mind off of things, the sinking feeling of uneasiness had already washed over me. PSICOM was questionable in general, but if they found something that scared even them, we should all be concerned.

My train of thought derailed instantly as the weight of someone else's body sent me forward. The force of the impact coupled with how unexpected it was proved to be more than enough to send me and the person who had run into me, toward the ground.

Sitting up as fast as I could I turned to meet the person who had carelessly collided with me, but when I was about to voice my displeasure I immediately stopped. The person who had knocked me over was a man who fit a lazy description the other soldiers had given earlier today. His clothing was as dark as night, and his blonde hair was styled into multiple spikes. That wasn't what had silenced me though, what did were his eyes. They were deepest and brightest pools of cerulean I had ever seen. They were as cold as ice, yet their gaze felt so warm. Something told me that staring back long and hard enough would tell me so much about the person right in front of me. There was something frightening about that, learning so much about this stranger by simply staring seemed unnatural. Almost as unnatural as his eyes.

I was only on the ground for a few seconds, but I felt paralyzed, those seconds felt like hours. The glint of the multiple swords on his back brought me out of my trance as he stood up and brushed imaginary dirt off of his clothes.

"Woah, you alright Farron?" Lieutenant Amodar asked, offering me his outstretched hand.

The blonde did the same, but I decided to stand up on my own, which earned me a dismissive shrug from the stranger before he quickly walked past us.

"Hey! You be careful with those!" My superior shouted after him, but the blonde didn't even bother to turn around.

It wasn't until he got further away that I remembered that the lazy description he matched was the one for the new member of NORA. He looked like he could definitely be trouble, but he didn't have the cocky demeanor the others in the group had. The others had been eager to 'save' me from three monsters a few days ago, but to this new guy it was as if I wasn't even there.

That only irritated me more.

 **Cloud's POV**

Mentally scolding myself for not paying attention, I headed for the cafe that was more of a bar at this time of night. The air around me was electric, unable to contain all the excitement the tourists and locals harbored tonight. I'd say that I wasn't big on the light show in the sky, but then I'd be lying to myself since it was the reason I had run into a pink-haired woman in the first place.

At first I thought she was Serah, but when I had gotten up I had seen that someone from Guardian Corps was standing next to her. She was my height when she stood up, and she seemed to dawn the same military attire, so it definitely wasn't Snow's girlfriend. Pink hair must really be in style around here.

I shook those thoughts out of my head as I continued toward the cafe. It didn't matter who that person was, I was just trying to find something to chew on mentally to distract myself from how uneventful my long patrol had been. The only thing I had found out there were members of the military force that guarded this place. They seemed to have everything under control on their own, which only further proved to me that the people in NORA weren't needed at all. It seemed like I was getting somewhere when Snow brought up the offer, but this was just a waste of my time. If I was needed here, I definitely would not find out how I was needed through them.

For now I'd just do my part playing soldier and when I'm supposed to be fetching groceries I'll actually be in the furthest possible place from here. Two more days of this couldn't be too bad.

Snow had called me back from patrol, he told me something about how I had done more than my part today and that I should just relax the rest of the festival. Seeing as I wasn't needed I took the offer, besides I think it's about time I cashed in one of those free meals I was given.

I almost made it to the cafe, now bar, without tripping over anyone else until a woman accidentally bumped into me while she made her way out of the bar with her friend.

"Oops!" She said as she realized her mistake before turning around to face me. She gave me a bashful smile before walking around, "See you around!"

"You know him?" I heard her friend giggle and ask loudly.

"No, but I want too!" was the quick reply.

Luckily I had finally made it to my destination, so managing to literally run into other random people was not likely. Most customers sat outside and admired the explosions in the sky while Lebreau worked behind the counter and Yuj delivered drinks.

Lebreau gave me a smile when she had seen me enter the the bar before waving me over. One stool was vacant in front of the counter while the other was occupied by someone I hadn't expected to see so soon. The woman in question was the taller one of the two uniquely dressed people that I had seen in the mall earlier today. Admittedly, I stared a little too long at her while I took my seat on the stool next to her, she didn't let that slide.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." She said before turning her green eyes to meet mine. The edges of her lips were curled into a smirk as she took a sip from the drink Lebreau had placed in front of her. Seems like her clothes weren't the only unique thing about her. Her voice had an accent that I hadn't heard anyone else have here.

I simply adjusted my posture and directed my gaze toward Lebreau who seemed to find something amusing before turning toward the woman that sat next to me.

"Sorry about my friend, he's a little shy." The raven-haired bartender said with a smile.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see the woman next to me give Lebreau a knowing nod in response before returning to her drink.

"Anyway, sorry about the distraction," Lebreau continued, "Who did you say you were looking for?"

"A friend of mine, she has really bright red hair." The woman replied in her accent, something about the sound of her voice asked, no, demanded your attention. If she had a level head she'd probably be able to lead many into battle with her rigid posture. "She was with me earlier but we got separated."

Lebreau put a finger up to her cheek and slightly tilted her head onto it to show she was in thought. "Someone with bright red hair…" She began out loud, "You'd have to give me more details because a lot of people have colorful hair around here."

"The person she is looking for is about a head shorter than her, had two pigtails, and her hair was so bright I almost mistook it for orange. She wore about the same amount of clothing as her friend here and she had plenty of jewelry on her, but it was the kind of jewelry that had more personal than monetary value." I listed these details absentmindedly while I stared at one of the menus that hung on the wall behind the counter.

"You've seen her?!" The uniquely dressed woman asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.

I shook my head before replying, "I only saw her at the mall earlier, and that was when you were with her." I stopped for a moment before turning toward her, "I didn't get a chance to take a picture."

The frown now etched into her olive-skinned face showed me that she didn't appreciate my smart comment. She put a lot of effort into putting down her now empty glass before getting up from her seat and heading toward the exit. I made sure to watch her as she left, the way she had set down her glass with an overly calm expression was something I normally saw people do before starting a fight.

"I'll let her know that you're looking for her if I see her," Lebreau shouted to the woman as she left, but she didn't even bother to look back. The raven-haired bartender then turned her attention back to me with a sad expression on her face, one I wasn't used to seeing. "Did you have to do that?" She asked in a slightly annoyed tone, "That person seemed really important to her."

I simply shrugged at this. If she was willing to get smart with me, she should at least be able to handle one comment. I finally picked something to eat, and Lebreau began making what I requested after taking the empty glass the previous woman had left on the counter. The excitement buzzing around me made it pretty hard to think, but it reminded me of how excited people were when they were having fun at the Golden Saucer.

Lebreau finally placed the dish I ordered in front of me before I began eating. Her sad expression and annoyed tone seemed to be long gone. It was as if it were never there, and that meant she would be more than eager to talk more with me. Which was something I didn't really want to deal with right now. The sound of her voice and the feeling of her staring at me let me know that my suspicions were correct.

"So what do you think of the fireworks?" She asked, excitement clear in her voice.

"They are colorful and they blow up in the sky." I replied in between forkfuls of food.

"Aw, come on. You can't seriously tell me you're not having fun." Lebreau replied in disbelief.

I raised an eyebrow which let her know not to test me. I definitely could tell her that, but I wasn't going to. I wasn't about to kill her vibe simply because I wasn't impressed by the symphony of explosions outside.

 **Lebreau's POV**

 _He's no fun_ , I thought to myself. It kind of felt like Cloud purposely went out of his way to not enjoy himself, but I was pretty sure it wasn't that. Who would choose to be moody all the time? That wasn't a fun way to live. The festival always put a smile on people's faces no matter what they were like on the inside, but it seems like the magic of it had fallen short when it came to the blonde that sat in front of me. I'd have to change that.

"Hey Yuj, can you cover for me in here? I'm gonna take my break to enjoy the festival a bit." I asked as he walked in the bar to retrieve a few more drinks.

He nodded, and I gave my thanks before pulling out my phone and shooting Gadot and Maqui a message. One of them would have to help out by working outside since Yuj would be working in here. We always had a system for big events like this where a few of us would work while the others would hang out and enjoy their time. Then we'd rotate so everyone got a chance to participate in the festivities.

"Come on Cloud, lets go for a walk." I said as I made my way around the counter.

He looked up at me as he finished his food with an unenthusiastic look on his face, "Not interested."

"Pleeeeeaaaassseeee!" I plead before walking over to him and grabbing his arm, giving it a slight tug.

His blue eyes stared back at me in an annoyed expression, but it would take a lot more than that to deter me. Eventually the blonde let out a sigh to show his annoyance but he got up from his seat and gave Yuj his phone.

"You can let go now," He huffed as I dragged him out of the building.

"Why, so you can run away?" I replied cheerfully with an evil smile on my lips.

His response was to yank his arm out of my grip which made me wonder why he hadn't just done that earlier. Maybe he did want to have fun after all. His ever-present poker face made it impossible to tell if I was right though.

We walked across the beach making sure to avoid any people who stood in awe of the explosions above. I already knew Cloud wasn't much for conversation, and I didn't expect that to change any time soon. It would've been nice if he at least pretended to want to talk to people though.

The walk was alright, but it definitely wasn't doing anything for Cloud's enjoyment. I had been staring at the egg-shaped dome on the water that contained the fireworks as they exploded, and a lightbulb went off in my head. It would definitely be a stretch, and I highly doubted the blonde next to me would be very fond of the idea, but it was worth a shot. The only thing I hoped was that we'd be able to avoid Snow. I didn't want to cut into any time he had with Serah, but it was worth the risk.

"Damn!" I yelled out of the blue which seemed to surprise even Cloud. He had been staring intently at the light show just like I was, which told me that there was hope for him yet.

"Hmm?" He hummed as he turned toward me thanks to my sudden outburst.

"I forgot my camera back at the house," I lied. "Usually during these festivals all the members of NORA take a picture together on the beach. It's a big tradition and I really don't want to miss today because I messed up."

"Well how much longer do the fireworks go on for?" He asked, sounding like he bought my explanation.

"I'd say we still have an hour, and it'd take fifteen minutes if we hurry to the house and back." I answer before I start heading in the direction of home.

To my surprise he hurried along with me, causing me to pick up the pace. The blonde-haired man even went as far as to help push through crowds. His eagerness to help me in something so trivial made me feel somewhat bad for lying to him, but if I had told him my true intentions I would've had to drag him across the beach.

Getting him back home was only half the battle, the other half would be to actually get him on one of the velocycles we had behind the house. Snow always took Serah on a ride around the bubble in the sky and they always had a great time. It was silly, but part of me believed that even Cloud wouldn't be able to not have fun doing something like that. Well, I hoped. if he still managed to have a sour face then it would just be really awkward.

When we finally got to the door of the house I reached into a leather pouch that I had strapped to my right leg. My outfit didn't exactly have pockets so I had to wear one for things like my phone. I fumbled around for a bit before moving my palm to my face. Cloud looked at me with that same questioning expression he seemed to enjoy so much before I let him know my problem.

"I forgot my house key back at the bar," I lied in an exasperated tone. Before he responded a smile lit up my face before I cut him off, "Someone probably left a window open around the back of the house. Let's go check!"

It worked perfectly, and he began to follow me around the side of the house before we stopped in front of a parked velocycle. As I thought, the other one was missing and Snow was probably the culprit behind that. Now for the really hard part.

"I'm sorry," I began, causing his questioning look to appear again. "I didn't forget my camera, and my key is right here." I clarified as I produced my key from the pouch and turned my attention away from him. "Truth is, you looked so bored even though one of the most amazing events are taking place right now. There is nothing else like it on Cocoon, and I thought that since you looked like you were new to Bodhum, you'd really enjoy it."

"Okay?" He asked, allowing me to continue. He was still listening to me, that was a good sign.

"Well, I got this crazy idea in my head that you and I could ride this velocycle in the sky around the fireworks as they exploded." His silence showed he didn't seem to be thrilled by the idea but I pressed on, "People do it all the time, and I really wanted to see what it was like."

"Why don't you do that with Yuj, or anyone else?" He asked.

"Because it wouldn't be the same, and it would be kind of weird. Yuj, Maqui, Snow, Gadot, they are all like brothers to me. It'd be like asking a family member to slow dance with you during a dance for couples." I explained while turning toward him, but directing my gaze toward the ground, "Sure you're now a part of NORA too, but you're still a stranger. Hell, you might be a stranger for a while considering the fact that you never talk to anyone except me." I stopped before looking up at Cloud's handsome face, "Anyway, it seemed like the perfect chance to finally get to do this. If you don't want to, I get it, but I'd really appreciate if you did." Why did I add that last part in? Sure I didn't want him to force him into it, but giving him the option to walk away would unravel all the effort it took to get him this far.

A silence hung in the air as the blonde thought it over in his head. I hated to admit it, but I was too shy to maintain direct eye contact and I ended up looking down at my shoes. This was stupid, why did I feel nervous all of a sudden? I just wanted to make sure he had fun tonight, nothing more. He didn't take the time to voice his answer and I heard his boots crunch the dirt beneath him as he got onto the hoverbike.

"Come on," he said, "If you stand around all night we won't make it before the fireworks end."

* * *

 **A/N:** I want to start off by saying sorry for the long wait. Time got away from me as I dug more into my new classes for College, and I also started working on another story. I'll try to release more frequently, but no promises. Don't worry though, I won't abandon this story.

This chapter ended up being longer than I expected, and I'm pretty happy about that! :D So far I'm on pace to actually get to the beginning of FFXIII when I hit Chapter 4 which means I have to actually start playing the game again. Kind of excited about that, but kind of not at the same time. I just finished it a little over a month ago and I'm not too eager to hop back in again, but I will do it for the story!

I want to give a massive thank you to iLady A for not only helping with ideas for the story, but also for taking the time to look through and edit the rough draft I had. This story would not be anywhere near as good without her supporting words and input.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter, and if you did please consider favoriting and following! Most importantly, please review! I won't lie, I actually really don't like bugging readers to review but it's really helpful. Reviews provide lots of motivation to continue because it says that you were interested enough in the story to actually say something. PMs are welcome too! I appreciate any criticism, negative or positive.

With that stuff all out of the way, until next chapter. Peace!


	3. Ch 3: Worst Birthday Ever

**Chapter 3: Worst Birthday Ever**

 **Lebreau's POV**

Cloud didn't have to tell me twice, and after he stored his blades inside his room, I hopped on the velocycle with him. I reached over his shoulder and pressed the button to power on the velocycle before wrapping my arms around his waist. Normally I'd sit nonchalantly with both of my legs hanging off one side of the bike, but falling off and plummeting toward the ocean wasn't exactly my idea of a good time.

I was completely wrong when I made a joke by calling him shy earlier when he was looking particularly hard at the woman who was looking for her friend. The feeling of my arms wrapped around his waist didn't make him even slightly flinch or react in any way. However, for some odd reason, it made butterflies begin to flutter in my chest. I could easily feel his muscular abs through his clothing and I could feel my cheeks burn up slightly. I still don't get why I felt like this, I was around guys all the time and not once did I ever have this kind of reaction.

The blonde that I held onto caused the bike to suddenly jolt upright and into the air which made me squeak in surprise. He looked over his shoulder to make sure I was alright and I nodded before he turned his attention back to flying. We began moving in some interesting ways that made me think that he hadn't ridden one of these before. That didn't make much sense considering that he would have had to if he delivered things as his job, so I just assumed he was messing with me.

Getting back to the shore was much quicker now that we didn't have to worry about pushing through crowds of people, and velocycles were always faster than walking. It took us about five minutes to reach the dome that held the fireworks, and we probably would've gotten there a bit faster if Cloud hadn't been busy trying to do silly tricks on the way there. I didn't mind though, I was laughing the whole time, even when he almost crashed us into a building which he promptly apologized for.

We were now so close to the explosions inside the egg-shaped bubble that I felt like I could reach out and just touch them. The colors were so much more vibrant and beautiful up close, I was right to envy Snow and Serah when they drove so close to the fireworks. It was truly amazing up here, and I almost forgot the reason why I was looping around a light show with someone who was almost a complete stranger.

"It's amazing up here!" I lean forward and say into Cloud's ear, he gave a nod in response before he did a really sharp u-turn in the air.

It was so sudden that I almost let my grip around the blonde's waist slip. I was going to ask what that was about, but out of the corner of my eye I saw another velocycle at a slightly higher altitude. The riders were no other than Snow and Serah. It seems Cloud had the same idea I had and wanted to let them enjoy their privacy.

I finally turned my attention away from the two lovebirds, but not before Snow noticed me and shot me a thumbs up with his signature smirk. I felt the edges of my ears burn in embarrassment, and I'm glad that Cloud was more focused on driving. I didn't realize that I tightened my grip around his waist and he glanced over at me for a second.

"You alright?" he asked in the calm tone that seemed to never change.

"Yeah, I'm just having a lot of fun," I smile at him before I ask a question of my own. "How about you, are you having fun?"

Time stopped for a few seconds as Cloud's eyes met mine. It wasn't the first time we had made eye contact, but something was definitely different this time. Maybe it was the colorful explosions we were flying next to, maybe it was the way the the bright lights glinted off of the wolf earring that he wore that I hadn't noticed before, or maybe it was the way his blue eyes seemed to pulse with life. Truth was, it didn't matter which one it was, what did matter was that I was sharing this moment with him.

Cloud smiled for the very first time since I met him while he nodded to reply to my question before he turned back ahead.

I shook him slightly in his seat, "I'm not going to let you get away with just nodding. I want to hear you say it!"

He shook his head in what I was sure was disbelief before he turned the velocycle and flew us directly into the bubble of fireworks. One exploded directly in front of us causing Cloud to have to maneuver awkwardly to dodge any sparks and debris. This happened two more times before we popped out on the other side of the bubble.

"You did that on purpose!" I shouted before playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"I think that's enough fun for one night," he replied before showing me another smile and turning the bike in the direction of home.

Growing up with the other members of NORA meant there were plenty of good nights you never wanted to end. When you spent most of your time out on the streets you could get yourself in all sorts of mischief, which is exactly what we used to do. Thing is, none of those memories compared to the time I had tonight. Being up here on my own with Cloud, excluding Snow and Serah, was truly something I'd never forget. Knowing that I was able to make him smile for once made the night that much more special. Even though I've only known him for two days, it felt like at every turn he tried to get as far away from NORA as possible despite joining it. It was comforting to see that he at least enjoyed my company.

Part of me wanted to protest and tell him that we should stay up here longer, but the very silent logical voice in my head reminded me that the festival would be over soon anyway. I simply nodded in response as he put us on a path home. The ride back was much less eventful; there were no near misses and we reached home much quicker than I would've liked.

Cloud parked the velocycle where we had taken it from before we got off, and I noticed that the one Snow had taken still wasn't back. The walk toward the front of the house was silent, but that was to be expected from the blue-eyed man that stood next me, so I decided that I would be the one who would start a conversation.

"What did you wish for?" I asked, if he answered truthfully, then I could finally learn more about him.

"Hmm?" he hummed as if he didn't know what I was talking about.

"They say those fireworks grant wishes," I prodded, "so what did you wish for?"

Cloud seemed to pause for a second and gave it some thought before he finally answered, "Well, I wished that I had already went to sleep," he laughed.

"You lazy jerk!" I shouted before playfully pushing him. Even though I was a bit smaller, I was still able to get him to take a few steps back as he chuckled at my expense. I turned to finally open the front door with my keys, but an unexpected question stopped me from moving.

"What did you wish for?"

My cheeks felt like they were lit on fire and I fumbled with the metal in my hands before completely dropping my keyring all together. It finally hit me, did I seriously have a thing for Cloud? It had been years since someone made me go full school girl for them and in a city that had many different tourists passing through, that was saying something. _Relax Lebreau,_ I told myself before picking up my keys and turning to face the blonde.

"Well, I wished that you were having a great time, but it turns out that you would have rather been sleeping!" I huffed.

He closed the distance between us, and the cool leather of his glove sent tingles throughout my body when he placed his hand on my shoulder. Cloud smiled and his voice became slightly caring when he spoke again, "well, you got your wish. I had fun tonight," he paused for a second before taking his hand off of my shoulder and gesturing toward the door, "now let me have mine."

* * *

 **The following day**

 **Lightning's POV**

Why today? Out of all days, why did today have to be the day that my life would come crashing down? If I had known that Serah wanted me to take the day off for my birthday so she could not only confess that she was dating Snow, but also so she could tell me that they were engaged, I would've been on the first train to the farthest possible station I could be assigned to.

"You became a l'cie so now you're going to marry this idiot?" I asked as I gestured toward Snow, "and you think I'm going to buy that?" My questions were so laced with disdain that it made my words cut through the air like a knife. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I had to lay everything out in the open to make sure that I understood this all correctly.

They didn't even try to interject, my sister and her dullard for a boyfriend simply did their best to avoid eye contact with me.

"Full points for originality," I began again. If they were going to stay silent, then I'd just have to keep going until they said something; I wasn't going to let this horrible idea for a practical joke just die. It seems I'd have to go a little deeper to make them admit that they were lying to me. "But don't forget, if you really are a L'cie, it's my job to deal with you," I reminded them of this fact as I stood up from my seat and pressed on a bit harder to try and make sure they understood what I was saying.

Serah finally gave me the eye contact that I desired, but the only word that came out of her mouth was, "sis..." before she looked down again.

"This is ridiculous," I said dryly before finally looking away from the pair. They didn't even have the courage at this point to admit fault for their stupid prank. Was this Serah's way of getting back at me for not being able to be there with her all this time? It couldn't be, she was never like this before, my sister was always sweet and caring. Did her stupid boyfriend really have that much of an effect? All of these thoughts in my head weren't helping! My internal struggle caused me to say something that I immediately regretted despite it being the truth, "worst birthday ever."

The sound of Serah beginning to cry as she ran out of the kitchen let me know that my words cut deeper than my Blazefire Saber ever could. Her boyfriend called after her as she ran, but he didn't follow her out. Instead he turned around and tried to finally confront me. The one person that I wanted out of our lives was the one that stayed.

"Why won't you believe her?!" he growled as he walked around the table to get into my field of view.

"You kidding me?!" I ask in disbelief. To say I have had enough at this point would be a severe understatement. "She gets made a l'cie and you pop the question?"

"Lightning, stop it!" The idiot shouted as he slammed his hands down on the dining room table between us.

"No you stop it!" I shot back and mimicked his gesture. No one came into my house and told me what to do. That went double for bombastic people who lead 'vigilante' groups while believing they were making a difference when they were actually just getting in the way. "Get out of my house!" I easily voiced what I wanted him to do since he got here.

"You're shutting her out!" was his reply, "she's your sister!"

Oh, she was hurt? Try being asked to take a day off for your birthday, and then looking forward to that day so you can spend time with the last person you have left only to have them tear your heart apart. If this wasn't a horrible joke at my expense, then it was even worse. I needed them to tell them that they were lying, that it was all one big prank, but neither did. I was a soldier for the Guardian Corps, but more importantly, I was a soldier for Cocoon. If Serah was a Pulse l'cie then my earlier threat would have to actually be carried out. I enlisted to the military to make sure I could protect my sister, not so I would be ordered to kill her.

This conversation was over, and I let out a sigh before looking away from Snow. I hoped that my silence was finally enough to get him to leave, I needed to be alone. My attempt was immediately rewarded.

"Fine!" he shouted, "I'll do it! I'll protect her!"

I wanted to say something in the most condescending manner possible, but I didn't. I just listened to him storm off and finally leave my house. Now alone, I turned to look at all the food left out on the table. We were about to eat the big meal that Serah and I always made when it was one of our birthdays. After everything that just happened I had lost my appetite, so I began cleaning things up. Part of me wanted to throw all this food away and forget this ever happened, but I didn't want it all to go to waste.

I moved all of the food into containers before placing them in our fridge. Then I moved on to washing the dishes, all the while a present Serah had gotten me sat on the large dining table. After placing the last plate in the dishwasher, I washed my hands before moving in the direction of my room. It was still early, but I just wanted to go to sleep and forget this ever happened.

I stopped as soon as I started passing by the white box that held my gift. I almost didn't want to open it, but Serah always knew what to get me. Maybe there was a note or something inside that explained that this was all indeed a trick. It would be a horrible gift, but at least I wouldn't have to worry anymore.

I reluctantly pulled back the pink ribbon that held the lid on top of the box before opening it. There was no note inside, just a beautiful black and gold survival knife. Normally I would've been elated to see it, but now the gift just salted the wounds that I had just created. This present showed me that Serah really did know me and love me as she always had. If that were the case though, why would she hurt me on my birthday?

"How practical," I said out loud as I returned my attention to the knife that was now in my grip. I stared at the bright metal it was forged from while I made it swing open on its hinge. For a moment, I lost myself in my own reflection.

The sound of my television beeping twice before turning itself on brought me out of my trance. A newscaster immediately appeared on screen with a video feed being broadcasted next to them. The reporter waited a second before reading from her script, "We interrupt this program to bring you an urgent Sanctum bulletin. Late last night officials confirmed the presence of a Pulse Fal'cie inside the city of Bodhum," The video feed displaying a glowing structure took up the entirety of the screen as the reporter continued on, "acting with Fal'cie Eden's approval, authorities declared a state of emergency. The entire district will be quarantined in response to this crisis," now finished saying its information, the broadcast began to repeat itself.

Images of the conversation I had just moments ago with Serah and Snow began playing in my head. She had been so afraid to tell me that she was a l'cie that she hadn't even said the words; they just showed me her brand and then Snow followed up with the fact that they were engaged. That's when I began to go off on both of them for playing a practical joke. My worst fear was confirmed, it was not a joke; this was all real.

In less than a minute I was out the front door as I began the search for my sister. It hadn't been that long since they left had it? They would still be somewhere in Bodhum, I know it! I'd find Serah if that meant overturning every single grain of sand on the shore. That was it! She always liked to spend time out on the large concrete pier that reached out into the ocean. It was as good a place to start as any.

Weaving past anyone in my way, I ran as fast as I could to get to the shore. I didn't have time to apologize for knocking people over, I had to find Serah before things got worse. Just when I thought nothing could stop me, I froze the second I reached the beachfront. I knew I had chosen a good place to start looking, but in my haste I had completely forgotten that the cafe that Serah said that Snow ran also faced the sea.

Slowing my pace, I marched over to the establishment knowing that if I was going to find answers, it would be here. Blonde locks of hair caught my eye, and before I knew it, I had dashed toward them and reached for the blonde's throat. I caught the man by his collar and with strength I would've normally been surprised by, I lifted him slightly off of the ground.

"I'm only going to ask once: where did he take my sister?"

 **Cloud's POV**

I returned the fierce glare the woman was giving me. A second ago I was leaning against the wall of the cafe, somewhat enjoying the rays of the sunshine, and now I was being lifted off of the ground by the pinkette I ran into yesterday. I knew I could fight back, and I was more than willing to do so, but my instinct told me not to. Staring into her eyes easily gave away that she was beyond furious, and one wrong move would escalate this to something it didn't have to be.

"You'll have to be more specific," I replied in the calmest tone I could muster.

The feeling of my head slamming into the wall behind me let me know that my choice of words had done little to ease the situation.

"Don't play dumb with me, I know you're friends with Snow!" the enraged woman spat.

It all made more sense now. I wasn't surprised that she had a problem with Snow, I had a few myself, but I was surprised to find out that this was Serah's sister. My quick judgement of Serah included the words 'calm' and 'gentle', the first impressions of her sister made me think contrary to those words.

"I don't know where they went, I just got here," I replied, but the expression on her face told me that she wasn't satisfied with that answer either.

"Are you sure my fist won't suddenly make you remember?" she roared as she curled the fingers of her right hand inward.

If she went through with her blow, I would have no choice but to defend myself. I wasn't about to let someone attack me just because of someone I made the mistake of affiliating myself with. I readied myself for the blow, but the voice of the NORA leader stopped the pink-haired woman from laying another hand on me.

"Leave him alone, Lightning!"

We both turned to see Snow standing at the bottom of the stairs to the cafe with the edges of his trenchcoat in tatters, a slight limp in his right leg, and scorch marks on his arms. The woman he called Lightning seemed to instantly lose interest in me and let me go before walking toward Snow. I didn't let her get far before grabbing her left arm stopping the pinkette in her tracks.

"Let me go!" she growled.

"I'm not going to let you do something you'll regret later," I replied only tightening my grip.

"Believe me, I won't regret what I'm about to do," Lightning assured me with malice wrapping every word.

"If you beat him to a pulp, how is he going to tell you what happened to your sister?" I reasoned. Common sense still seemed to work because the second I said that she stopped trying to pull away from my grip. I still didn't loosen the hold I had on the pinkette's arm just in case it was a ruse. I looked toward my 'friend' and nodded for him to speak.

"Serah was so upset that she forgot to cover her brand when she ran out of your house earlier today," Snow began. "By the time I had caught up with her there were already three Guardian Corps members and a PSICOM officer chasing after her so I helped her get away. We stole one of PSICOM's cycles and headed for the Vestige so I could protect her." The normally cheerful man stopped for a second before continuing, "she was able to get into the Vestige, but it sealed itself before I could follow her in. I'm sorry," he finished his apology by standing up as straight as he could and opened his arms, "if you still want to take out your anger on me, go for it. I deserve it."

The arm in my grip stopped pulling away as the explanation went on, the previously aggressive woman didn't utter a single word. She turned to look at me before yanking her arm away one last time, I finally let go. It was clear she was still upset, but she would at least think before acting now. The pinkette didn't have to say anything, her eyes spoke for her. The fierce orbs that were as cold as ice earlier had a different quality to them; it was pain.

"I'll find her Lightning, I'll protect her just like I told you I would," Snow said in an attempt to comfort the woman as she walked away, but she didn't even react.

What exactly have I gotten myself caught up in?

 **Lightning's POV**

I wanted to take Snow's offer; I wanted to punch his face in until my knuckles hurt, but that wouldn't bring Serah back to me. It was my fault, she had almost gotten caught by the army because of the words I said. It was settled; I'd find my way into the Vestige and find my sister. After that, I'd return to reconsider the proposition the leader of NORA had for me.

The Vestige itself was easy to see from my position on the shore, it'd be near impossible to conceal such a large structure. However, this presented me with a few problems. This operation was PSICOM's baby, and as a Guardian Corps soldier, I had no chance getting near that thing without being turned away. Furthermore, it was as clear as day that there were chains attached to that monster of a structure. They were taking it somewhere, and I was short on both time and options.

I headed home immediately to grab my weapon and any other things I had forgotten in my haste to find Serah. If I was going to push past PSICOM I'd have to do it quickly and with force. An opportunity would present itself, I was sure of that. The main issue was that I wouldn't know what that opportunity would look like until I saw it for the first time. For now I'd just have to play the waiting game.

 **Cloud's POV**

"Well, that went well," Snow chuckled as soon as Lightning was out of earshot.

"Yeah, tell that to the back of my head," I replied before we both walked into the cafe. Well, I walked; he limped up the stairs.

We were pretty lucky that the beach had been evacuated before that whole ordeal had happened with the pinkette. It would've been a huge spectacle for all to see and word spreads among tourists like wildfire. Regrettably, I had been the one running the cafe this time around. Lebreau decided it would be a good idea since she believed I would be here a while and I should learn to help from time to time. I almost felt bad for planning to abandon her and the rest of NORA tomorrow.

"Where is everyone?" Snow asked while taking a seat.

"They evacuated the beach earlier today, said it was for the safety of the citizens," I replied while heading behind the counter, "something about shots being fired overhead."

"Oh? Why are you still here?"

"I was curious," was my simple reply before taking a look at the selection of alcoholic beverages behind the counter. Some had similar names to the things Tifa kept in stock back at the bar in Edge, but they were completely different drinks. That was no surprise.

"Drinking in the afternoon?" Snow inquired.

"It's for you actually," I said before finally taking a drink off of the shelf. Out of curiosity I mixed drinks with names I recognized to see if they'd still go well together. I took a quick sip of my concoction before sliding it to the tall man across from me. "You look like you got into a fight with a box of fireworks and lost," I pointed out, unconsciously slipping back into the demeanor I took on when I tended the bar for Tifa. That was one of the few things I wasn't able to get out of doing, but I didn't mind too much.

The leader of NORA chuckled, but didn't bother trying the drink I passed to him. "I've never been much of a drinker," he said while staring at the mixture, "gotta keep my mind clear in case people need my help."

This guy really never gave the hero thing a rest huh? I'm surprised Lightning and I seemed to be the only ones that had a problem with him with the way he talks. There was an upside to him believing he was walking the path of a paragon though, he would do his best to do things that were morally "good". One of those things I was certain he would do was tell the truth, and honestly, all I wanted was to know what was up with his girlfriend.

"Suit yourself," I said before pouring the drink down the sink behind me. It was still a good mix, but I wasn't going to drink it. "So what's this all about 'the Vestige' and the military chasing your girlfriend?" I finally ask.

"It's kind of a long story," he answered, "one I would rather not share."

"Kind of late for that don't you think?" I countered his attempt at dropping the subject. "I was attacked by Serah's sister simply for knowing you, so I think it's only fair that I know what is going on."

"Alright," he sighed, "a few days ago Se-"

"We interrupt this program to bring you another urgent Sanctum bulletin," the voice of a female reporter filled the cafe which cut off Snow's explanation before it really began. "As stated before, late last night officials confirmed the presence of a Pulse Fal'cie inside the city of Bodhum. With the Fal'Cie Eden's approval, authorities have locked down the seaside city to prevent anyone from entering or exiting. A Purge will be conducted; all civilians in Bodhum will be evacuated to Pulse along with their Fal'Cie. Comply with local law enforcement, this is for the safety of all of Cocoon," the reporter stopped there before the message repeated again.

"We have to get back to the house," Snow declared while standing up so quickly that he knocked over his stool.

I quickly followed him out of the cafe as he began to call all members of NORA to meet back at their home base. My plan to leave tomorrow was immediately thrown right out the window upon hearing that this place was going to be locked down.

Upon reaching the promenade in the city, I saw that the amount of military personnel had easily tripled since the day I woke up here and now there were roadblocks everywhere. They had set everything up so fast, I doubted anyone was able to make it out to avoid this 'Purge'. I had to look away any time I saw someone pleading with soldiers to let them leave, to let them see their families back home. There were crowds of people forming to try and protest being held and 'evacuated' against their own will. It was all in vain though. I knew very little about Cocoon, and I knew absolutely nothing about Pulse, but it was clear that no one wanted to leave.

"Go back to your homes and hotel rooms!" a PSICOM soldier shouted over a speaker system throughout the city, "this is for your own safety! We will be escorting sectors of the city to trains over the course of the next few days. Just stay put so we can keep everyone safe!"

Those in crowds were quick to shout obscenities and insults toward the disembodied voice. There were many emotions on display as Snow and I shoved our way back to the house, but the happiness and excitement from yesterday was already an ancient memory. Tensions were high, and I was glad that I had kept all my weapons on hand. Not only did it make people easily back away from you when they saw you, but it also meant I'd be prepared if anything did break out.

Everyone in NORA was already waiting for us when we arrived; they all sat around the coffee table in the living area which made me feel like we were going to have some sort of intervention. I shut the door behind me but it didn't do much to drown out the commotion outside.

"So boss, what's the plan?" Gadot asked immediately.

"Heroes don't need plans," Snow replied with a cocky smile.

Now I wished it was an intervention. This guy was addicted to sticking his own head up his ass.

"We're going to wait until they come get us to get on the train," the leader of NORA began, "we'll board the train, steal it from them, and save everyone there."

I had given Snow one more chance to prove that he wasn't a complete dolt, but it was clear that I was wasting my time. His idea of a plan ignored almost any possible factor that could immediately shut it down. If you were dumb enough to believe you were a hero, then I guess you were dumb enough to believe you could get over any obstacle.

"Where are you going Cloud?" Maqui asked as he saw me begin to walk away.

"I'm going to find Lightning," I heard myself answer, "she is military after all, maybe she knows something we don't."

"You're still going to try to talk to her after what happened a little while ago?" Snow questioned, slightly dumbfounded.

"What happened earlier?" Lebreau inquired.

"I'll defend myself this time," I replied, "if I find anything out I'll come back and let you guys know."

"I think you're wasting your time, Lightning isn't one to talk," Snow said before handing me his phone. "I learned that earlier today, but something tells me you're not going to listen to me anyway. I'll send you directions to her house that way you at least know where to start looking."

I nodded my thanks as I took the phone and headed outside. The crowds outside had managed to grow larger despite only being away from them for a few minutes, but getting through was still as simple as before. Sometimes I'd have to move people out of the way, but when they saw six blades strapped to my back they suddenly didn't mind stepping out of my path. If Lightning was out here, I'd have close to zero luck finding her. Even her rare hair color wouldn't be much to go off of since there were plenty of people with colorful hair here.

Snow had sent me the directions to the pinkette's house as he said he would, and I decided that would be the first place I looked. If she wasn't there then I would consider braving the large crowds that had formed. The directions were simple enough, but as soon as I could see what I assumed to be Lightning's house, a problem presented itself in the form of two PSICOM soldiers that stood outside her front door.

From the quick glance I gave it, Lightning's house was rather large; bigger than I definitely expected. Either her family was rich, or military made some pretty good gil. Value aside, it seemed to have an oval shape to it due to its large rounded out corners. There were a few windows on the front side, but those would be of no use to me if I wanted to get in. The two PSICOM guards would immediately see me, instead I hoped that the two neighboring houses had back areas that connected with her own in some way.

Taking an immediate left, I headed behind a colorful two story home hoping that anyone inside wouldn't see me. Upon reaching the area behind the house, I was surprised by a somewhat breathtaking view of the ocean. The 'backyard' of the three houses were dirt areas similar to house NORA's but instead of having a sheer wall parallel to the home, there was a sheer drop into the ocean. My unplanned timing lined up perfectly with when the sun began to set, and soon different hues of color began to decorate the sky.

Snapping out of my fascination with the view, I returned to the task at hand. Getting into Lightning's house without being caught. Low concrete fences separated each landowner's property from each other which made getting behind the Guardian Corps member's home easy. There were a few windows on the backside of the oval-shaped home, but unfortunately all the windows looked closed and there wasn't a backdoor of any kind.

I had already put in the work to get this far, and I wasn't about to just throw it away because of the lack of an easy entrance. Running a few different ways to get in without making enough noise to alert the guards out front, I decided on executing the easiest and perhaps dumbest method I could think of: knocking on one of the windows.

The main window on the backside of the house wrapped around the home slightly and was pretty long in horizontal length. It had tinted glass, so trying to look in provided no information about what room it lead to. I raised my gloved hand to knock, but before my knuckles came in contact with the glass surface, a square portion of the window began to lower itself. I don't know why I expected that the whole window would have to lower at once, but considering its length it made sense that sections would lower seperately.

"What are you doing?" the annoyed Lightning that I was now face to face with asked.

"Trying to sneak into your house, what does it look like I'm doing?" I replied honestly.

"Giving me one good reason why I should let you in," she commanded flatly.

"I want to help you find your sister," I heard myself quickly answer. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the exact truth either. I did feel bad that her sister was inside whatever that large structure that had been shown on TV was, but this was also a perfect opportunity to learn more about this world. The reason I chose that answer was because I knew it was probably the one that would get the biggest response out of her.

My choice of words seemed to have an adverse effect on her because her annoyed expression only seemed to harden before she spoke again, "I don't need help from idiots like NORA."

"None of the others are involved, it's just me," I informed her.

"Prove it."

 _Well damn_ , I thought. I didn't have any surefire way to make her believe me if she didn't already. Just when I was sure my time to think of an idea was up, I felt a slight vibration in my pocket. _Perfect._

"This is Snow's phone," I said while pulling it out of my pocket. I illuminated the display and showed it to the woman I was trying to persuade. Upon showing it to her, anger became slightly more visible on Lightning's face. Curious, I took a look at the screen and sure enough it was a picture with Snow and her sister smiling. Maybe I didn't think this one through after all, but before the pinkette could close the window, I tossed the device over my shoulder and into the ocean behind me.

If I hadn't been trying to win the pinkette over, I might have missed her expression go from annoyed to slightly shocked to stern. It was a display of emotion that lasted about a second, she was good at hiding what she was thinking that was for sure. Letting out a sigh, Serah's sister lowered two more sections of the window which would allow me to easily slide in. I could see now that she was standing in a living room area. There was a circular couch that hugged the curve of the outer wall of the house and in front of it sat a large circular table with a television hanging overhead. Slightly off to the side of the circular table was a grand piano, and the entire room had what looked like sleek black linoleum flooring.

Lightning took a step back to let me get through the window, but stopped me as I began to climb in.

"Give me those swords before you hurt yourself," she ordered.

"You care?" I asked.

"If you're going to help me find my sister, a little. If that's not the case then you can fall on all six of them and it won't be any skin off of my nose," she seemed to answer honestly.

So far we were both being honest, so that was a good start. If things kept going like this then I should be able to learn what I want to know before the night ends.

"Why do you even have so many?" The pinkette asked almost in disgust after she placed the sixth blade on the circular table.

"Different situations," I answered after climbing through the window which she quickly move to close.

"How are you going to help me?" she said, getting to the point.

"In any way I can."

"That's it? You didn't come prepared? You're as dumb as Snow."

"Well no one has informed me on what exactly is going on, so how am I supposed to think of some sort of plan?" I inquired, somewhat annoyed at the insulting tone she suddenly took.

"My sister is a Pulse l'cie, what else is there to know?" Lightning snapped.

"Well maybe you could start by telling me what a Pulse l'cie is?" I countered in an exasperated tone. We were only a few sentences in and the conversation was already escalating into an argument for no reason.

"You're joking right?" she raised her voice, "because I have had enough jokes for one day!"

I took a deep breath and let her question hang in the air, not long enough for her to have to ask again, but long enough to allow me to reset my tone, "I'm not joking, I genuinely don't know." I answered calmly.

Luckily, my attempt to reset the mood seemed to work in my favor and she took a breath too. She still explained the concept to me in a slightly condescending manner, but l'cie were apparently some sort of servant chosen by a Fal'cie to do their bidding. Pulse l'cie were sworn enemies of Cocoon and that's why the military wanted her sister. There seemed to be much more to it, but I didn't press on. Me asking a question that seemed to be common knowledge was suspicious enough, and I figured if I asked more she'd only get frustrated with me again. After the explanation there was a thick silence between us, and I could feel her examining me, trying to figure me out.

"Well," I broke the silence, "they are taking everyone by train tomorrow."

"I already knew that, but I'm exempt because I'm Guardian Corps," Lightning pointed out, "they won't bother walking me to the station because they don't want me interfering in PSICOM's business."

"I'm still technically a civilian, so they'd want me. I've snuck into your house so we can easily sneak out. If we get caught you can just say that you saw me trying to run and that you were helping out. Then when we would get to the train and you can wing it to find someway aboard." I suggested.

"It's better than nothing," she sighed before quickly bouncing back, "now that that's settled, get out of my house."

I didn't have any plans on staying, but at the same time if I stayed here I wouldn't have to deal with any members of NORA for the night. I also wouldn't have to explain to Snow why his phone was at the bottom of the ocean. Staying here was definitely beneficial, "are you sure you want me leaving your house with PSICOM right outside your front door?"

"You've snuck into my house, so you can sneak out," she mocked in an unamused tone.

She used my own logic against me, and I couldn't think of some other excuse that she'd deem worthwhile. The pinkette seemed pretty intent on kicking me out but before the topic could escalate, I was saved by two loud beeps filling the room and the television turning on.

"This is an announcement from PSICOM personnel in the Bodhum area. We are enforcing a curfew so we can clear the streets and proceed with the Purge in a calm and orderly manner. Any citizens except for PSICOM personnel seen out on the streets during this curfew will be removed by force. The curfew begins at approximately… now. We will give those still outside five minutes to return to their homes, but there will be no further warnings."

"There is food in the fridge, and I'll be in my room. Don't talk to me or try to talk to me until we leave tomorrow morning." Lightning instructed flatly before turning on her heel and heading out of the room.

Even though she had told me not to I still had to say something as she walked to her room, and the sound of my voice was enough to stop her. "I get you're upset, but you only make it harder for me to help when you shove me away."

Instead of turning her head and going off on me like I had expected her to, she simply waited a second, probably to make sure I was done talking, and then continued to her room. As soon as I heard her shut the door, the tension in the air evaporated and I let myself fall onto the couch. The blue cushions were far plusher than I expected, and the stress built in my muscles melted away.

The sun was long gone after this whole ordeal, and the dark night sky filled the view from the window. Outside of the house was dead quiet which was a stark contrast to the loud crowds that accumulated during the festival last night. I could hear the relaxing sound of the ocean waves crashing against the cliff outside the window, but soon that serenity was lost and my ears perked up on alert.

It was barely audible, but I could hear the soft crunching of dirt underneath someone's feet as they walked near the window. The lights in the room I was in were thankfully off. Even if they couldn't see me through the window, I definitely didn't want to attract any unwanted attention because the lights would shining through.

"This area's clear," I heard someone say outside, and the crunching of dirt resumed before gradually fading away.

My whole body was still on edge and I didn't dare move a muscle. Normally a few grunts wouldn't be a problem, but when you were trying to be under the radar any enemy was a threat. While I did know a bit more about why things like the Purge were taking place, I still lacked information on a lot of things. It would be easier to find what my purpose was here if I wasn't getting chased around by the military, I knew that from experience.

Shinra and PSICOM, they weren't all that different. Both were large military forces, and both definitely ruled through fear. The only reason a whole city was going to be 'evacuated' to Pulse was because everyone else was so afraid of Pulse that they'd rather exile their fellow man to stay safe. Maybe that was why I was here, to fight PSICOM just like I fought Shinra. My mind kept going and tried to make some more connections between Gaia and Cocoon, but I couldn't find many more easy ones.

Instead my mind wandered to all the people that helped me fight Shinra. Sure I had taken on a large military power before, but I had done with teammates, friends. They were all ready to take on the world and I didn't have anyone like that here. Well, anyone I felt could truly do the job. _What were they doing now?_ I wondered. They were all safe from the geostigma and Sephiroth after the large battle above Edge. _Were they looking for me? Did they miss me? What would I be doing if I were home right now?_ These questions plagued me for what felt like hours just like I had been plagued with thoughts the first day I had arrived. However this time I couldn't feel the dark corners of sleep begin to grab me. It definitely felt like I wouldn't be able to run from my thoughts tonight, but what if I gave in?

Sitting up, I looked over and stared at the grand piano. I found it hard to believe that Lightning would play such a delicate instrument so I assumed it was probably Serah's. It had been a while since I had played the ivory keys, but I took a seat in front of the instrument anyway. There was a song I had played long ago back in Nibelheim, both on my first visit when I was a grunt for Shinra and on my second visit when I was looking for Sephiroth.

My hands immediately rested on the keys that began that piece of music, and without even really thinking about it, I began to play. I had heard this melody before, I was sure of it. There was something so familiar about it, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Eventually I gave up trying to track down where I had heard it and I simply focused on playing. I kept playing for several minutes, never straying from that song until I finally felt my eyelids begin to grow heavy.

* * *

 **A/N:** Woah, a chapter one week after the previous one? Crazy! I wish I could tell you guys to get used to this, but I can't. :c I did work hard to try and make sure this would come out this week though for two reasons. One, was to make up for taking a bit in between the first two chapters, and the second reason is because it might be a bit until I release chapter 4. The reason it will take a bit before chapter 4 is released is because, as I mentioned before, I have to actually start playing the game now. I don't really want to hop back on that horse quite yet, but I definitely will before February ends.

As always I want to thank iLady A for taking the time to edit this chapter and bounce around ideas with me. I don't know where I would be without her help. She actually just released a new chapter for her amazing fanfiction that is titled, I'll Never Forget, and if you haven't checked it out already, you definitely should.

This chapter took turns I was definitely not expecting when I began writing it, but overall I'm happy with those turns. Ever since I started writing this fic I knew I wanted Cloud to play the piano at some point, and ending the chapter with it seemed like a great decision. I might bring it back later as well, I really loved that scene during the flashback in FF7 so it has stuck with me. If you don't know what song it is that he is playing on the piano, it's actually his own theme which is heard on the world map in FF7. Funny enough, I completely forgot that I knew how to play piano and I remembered that when writing that scene.

If you liked this chapter and the previous chapter please favorite and follow if you have not already. If you're really feeling in the supportive spirit, drop a review! I appreciate both positive and negative feedback.

That's it for now, so until next chapter. Peace!


	4. Ch 4: Exodus

**Chapter 4: Exodus**

 **A/N:** Really quickly I want to say that this account has gone through two name changes since I started this story, I should be satisfied with my name now, so hopefully the name changes will stop. Just to assure everyone they are in the right place, I was Synchronistic, then Suros, and now I am going by A Dusty Old Qrow.

Also the more I read fics, the more I see people adding disclaimers at the beginning of every one of their chapters so just so we are clear, **I don't own any of the characters or settings, it all belongs to Square Enix.**

* * *

 **Lightning's POV**

Thoughts of Serah kept the notion of sleep at bay while I tossed and turned under my blankets. I was dead set on finding her, but what would I do after that? How would I even begin my apology for the things I said. The rational part of my brain told me that my sister would understand or at least attempt to, but the rest of my mind was trying its damndest to present me with worst-case scenarios.

I shifted my body to lay on my right side.

Then there was Cloud, he was… strange. I knew there was something off about him the second he ran into me during the fireworks festival. After he walked off I tried to narrow down what could've caused his eyes to look so unnatural to me. Chalking it up to being some sort of trick created by lighting didn't sit well with me, and that explanation was debunked twice today. When I saw him at the cafe and outside of my house his eyes still had that lifelike glow. It was harder to see, and I had to focus to find it, but it was there.

I moved onto my left side.

Physical features aside, Cloud carried himself in a way only people in the military did. Each stride he took was full of confidence and purpose. He definitely wasn't Guardian Corps though, I've never seen or heard of him, Lieutenant Amodar didn't seem to know him either. He looked too young to be some sort of big shot for PSICOM, and if he was from their branch he'd have armor depicting it. Unless he was some sort of agent that went under the guise of anonymity, which was highly unlikely, the blonde was just an anomaly.

I returned to laying flat on my back.

I hadn't forgotten that he had asked me what a Pulse l'cie was. That was some of the most basic knowledge anyone living on Cocoon had. Someone from NORA would be dumb enough to try and pull a joke like that, but he seemed to be really adamant about not wanting to be affiliated with them. The only reason I gave him the benefit of the doubt was because not believing someone is what got me in this mess in the first place. However, that still begged the question: how did he not know what the significance of a Pulse l'cie was? Maybe I'd find out if he proved useful when we looked for Serah.

I switched which of my two pillows was on top.

Great, I had gotten away from thinking about my sister only to come full circle once again. The abnormal silence inside and outside of the house wasn't helping either. It just left me with my thoughts and reminded me of the conditions I was in. The second the Purge was announced two PSICOM guards appeared at my front door and told me that I'd be under house arrest. They didn't tell me why, but a quick call to Amodar confirmed my suspicions. PSICOM was making sure the Guardian Corps didn't have the chance to interfere. I had always planned to find a way out, but one wrong move meant that I'd be up to my waist in bullet casings.

I buried my face into my pillows, all this thinking was driving me nuts!

The second my face pushed into the soft cushion is when I heard _it_. The sound was hard to make out thanks to the thickness of the walls, but I could hear the faint noise of the piano in the living room. Was Cloud playing it? Who else could it be? I had to see this for myself.

I swung my legs out from under the covers and onto my cold bedroom floor. Still wearing my brown cropped sweater and skirt, I quickly moved to the doorknob. I lied and told myself that I was only up to yell at him for not being asleep, but the truth was that I wanted to be able to hear what he was playing. He didn't strike me as the type to play such a beautiful instrument.

My bedroom door emitted a soft sound as I slightly pushed it open causing me to curse under my breath. Luckily, the blonde didn't seem to notice, or he just didn't care. It was pretty dark, and I didn't have a completely straight shot to the living room from my door, but the moonlight that poured in through the window highlighted Cloud just enough for me to be able to see his spiky hairstyle.

The song he played was one I had never heard before, but he never strayed from its melody. I had to admit, I was slightly impressed. If he fought as well as he played music then maybe he'd be helpful after all.

Softly shutting the door, I headed back to my bed. The momentary distraction wasn't enough to completely clear my head, but it allowed my exhaustion from the day's events to finally set in. A few minutes later, I was out like a light.

* * *

Sunlight pierced through my bedroom window a lot sooner than I would've liked. The sound of knocking on my bedroom door caused me to jolt upright. Maybe everything that happened on my birthday was a horrible dream and today was my real day off. Maybe I took advantage of not working today by sleeping in and Serah was knocking to wake me up. As much as I wanted to believe those things were true, those ideas died immediately thanks to the eerie silence outside and the unfamiliar knocking pattern.

I gently rubbed my eyes to clear any sleepiness from them before getting out from under the warmth of the covers. The rest of my uniform sat on a nightstand adjacent to my bed and I got to work buckling my white top coat. Soon my crimson leg pouch, black weapon holster, Guardian Corps pauldron, and boots helped complete my uniform and I headed toward the door.

I was never one to dawdle when things had to be done, and knowing that today would be devoted to finding and bringing back my sister made sure that I didn't waste even half a second. A gloved fist hovered mere centimeters from my nose when I opened the door which caused my eyes to narrow immediately at the blonde waiting impatiently for me. His face was placid as he dropped his hand to his side before giving me a knowing look. The facial expression was hard and gave off a vibe that said, 'we have a mission to carry out.' I didn't care for the look and I simply walked toward the kitchen.

"We'll leave after I get something edible inside of my body," I announced dryly as I walked away.

Cloud wordlessly followed me into the kitchen before leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Occasionally I'd catch a glimpse of him as I prepared some of the leftovers that were in the fridge and he looked as uninterested as ever, but I'd be damned if I said that I couldn't feel his gaze follow me around the kitchen. There wasn't even much to prepare since I was trying to spend as little time possible, but the fact that the only thing separating the blonde and myself was a dining table is what made it easy to make eye contact from time to time.

The silence in the room remained intact save for the occasional pop from a container I opened and the sound of my fridge door being in use as I put things away. I had noticed that there were fewer leftovers than last night which lead me to assume Cloud had already eaten. I could've just asked him, he was standing right there, but there was no point in asking a question I already knew the answer to. Instead I quickly ate my simple meal before heading toward thee living room with the blonde shadowing my movements.

"You're awfully quiet," I pointed out as I took in the view that my living room window provided. The sun brilliantly lit up the sky outside and a quick check of the clock on my phone let me know that it was half past nine. It was as good a time as any to head out for the train station.

"You told me to be," the blue-eyed man replied in an even tone causing me to raise an eyebrow as I turned to look at him. Cloud crossed his arms and leaned back slightly before speaking again, "'don't talk to me or try to talk to me until we leave tomorrow'?" he quoted my words in a manner that wasn't a command, but a question. It was the phrase that I had told him last night before heading into my room, and hearing it caused me to sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

I couldn't tell if he was trying to be helpful by showing he could listen, or if he was being a smartass. There was no sign that it was the latter thanks to the clear lack of amusement on the blonde's face, but there was no sign it was the former either. I shook my head, his intentions didn't matter, what did was finding my sister. The sooner she was home, the sooner we could all go back to normalcy or whatever was left of it after the Purge.

"We're going now," I announced before turning around to open the window.

I've never seen the transparent barrier inch down so slowly in my life. My mind reminded me that it was going at the same speed it always did, but the fact that it was the first barrier between me and my sister made it move at a snail's pace. Once it completely lowered I hopped through with ease before turning to face Cloud.

"You carrying so many weapons is only going to slow us down in the long run," I began, "just pick one or two and let's go. You can return to being a walking weapon rack when we get back."

"I already have," he replied before climbing over the low barrier and walking past me to head into one of my neighbor's backyards.

With his back turned to me I was able to see the black harness he wore looked adjusted from its normal configuration that held six individual swords to hold just one large one. The blade itself was bigger than what I was used to seeing most soldiers carry, and that alone made me wonder how clumsy he would be wielding it. All of the previous weapons he had slung onto his back must've come together somehow to make this monstrosity, it was convenient if nothing else.

I didn't let inspecting Cloud's weapon slow me down and I made sure to stay close to him just in case we were caught. I definitely wasn't convinced that telling PSICOM I was helping them would be a very good explanation, but it was better than nothing. Staying out of sight proved difficult thanks to all of the soldiers patrolling up and down the neighborhoods, but we managed to avoid them thanks to the placement of the few alleys throughout Bodhum. We almost made it to the station without being caught, that is until the final stretch between one of the alleyways and the stairs into Bodhum station. A PSICOM grunt walked into the alley a few seconds before we were about to exit. I could tell by the way he suddenly stopped that he probably had a deer in headlights look under that helmet.

"You two! Stay where you are!" he yelled before slowly walking toward us with his weapon raised.

I saw Cloud raise his hands as he surveyed the immediate area. It wasn't as if there was anywhere for us to run unless we wanted to be shot in the back. We could easily scale the buildings next to us, but it would only motivate the grunt to call over some friends. I soon found myself holding my breath while I waited for the PSICOM soldier's next move.

"All GC members are supposed to be home, this is a PSICOM op," he announced like I hadn't already known.

I replied without missing a beat, "That's what I had heard, but when I saw this one-" I jerked my head slightly toward the blonde next to me, "-behind my house trying to hide I figured I'd help. I don't want a l'cie in my hometown."

The grunt nodded slowly, seeming to buy it. Luckily for me the large weapon on Cloud's back wasn't completely visible or else that would've only raised more questions. It would be weird if I had subdued someone trying to escape yet they still had their equipment on them.

"Well your help isn't needed, go home," the grunt said sternly, "I'll take the civilian with me."

Of course, PSICOM was as cocky as I expected, cocky enough to turn his back on both me and Cloud as he began to walk out of the alley. I could see the blonde next to me get ready to attack, but this one was all mine.

"That won't be necessary," I hissed and before he could spin around to address me his head was severed from its torso. It wasn't pretty, but it was the only way I could take him out before he could make a sound over his comms.

Without a word, Cloud and I quickly stepped over the body that had crumpled to the floor and ran toward the steps into the station. It was a reckless move, but we managed to slide by and get up the steps. The sound of our boots pounding against the cement was soon drowned out by gunfire and the screams of civilians. Immediately I thought we had gotten caught, but the source of the commotion was found as soon as I stepped into the station. At the bottom of the stairs that headed toward the train were three lifeless people riddled with holes.

"Stay in your lines!" a PSICOM soldier that stood next to a row of civilians yelled, "this is for your own safety!"

' _Safety from being killed by the people that swore to protect them maybe.'_

My companion continued to stay silent. It showed he was smart enough to know when to talk and when not to. Either that or he was just a reserved person which was a far cry from what the NORA leader was like, it seemed he never knew when to shut up. I guess that was a point toward the blonde in showing that he really wasn't anything like those idiots.

Pushing the evaluation of Cloud to the back of my head, I headed toward the soldier that was issuing commands. He'd be the closest to being a leader around her and that would be my ticket to getting onto the train. The soldier only took his attention off of the civilians for a few seconds to acknowledge me walking toward him.

"What's the GC doing here?" he asked as he caught sight of my pauldron before looking over at the NORA member next to me before continuing, "this op is under PSICOM direction." His voice was far calmer than when he was barking orders, and a bit less stern than that of the soldier we found in the alley.

"So direct me," I replied in a matter of fact tone, "let me on, I want to be Purged."

He looked around slightly confused, maybe a bit uncomfortably from what I could tell from the sigh he let out through his mask. The soldier then leaned in toward me like we were best friends sharing a precious secret, "only civs get purged," he whispered, "Sanctum staff and soldiers are exempt."

"Then I quit," I stated before immediately guiding my hand to the hilt of my weapon and removing it from its holster, a gesture that seemed to worry the guard. I placed the Blazefire Saber in his hands and waited for him to command me.

"Line up!" he barked at me before shifting his attention toward Cloud. It seemed that handing my weapon over had returned the PSICOM soldier's confidence in spades because he then used the same tone in the question he asked the blonde, "and you?"

"Civilian," I could hear him say as I headed toward the back of the line.

As soon as I reached the back of the line I could see Cloud remove his gigantic sword from his back before dropping it into the hands of the PSICOM grunt. Soon a metallic clang resonated through the station as the large weapon and my own hit the floor. The sound and thought alone of my new sword hitting the ground made me grimace, and I could see Cloud had the same facial expression as he headed to line up behind me.

 **Cloud's POV**

When I told Lightning I would help her find her sister, I didn't know what exactly I was signing up for, but when I walked into that train station I knew I had made the right decision. Three civilians were murdered for trying to escape this 'mass evacuation', that was a telltale sign of what was to come. Since that moment on something told me that we weren't exactly going off to our own wonderful utopia where we would be safe.

The PSICOM staff were just as stupid as Shinra staff, that was as plain as day when Lightning and I had gotten caught slightly earlier as we were about to leave an alleyway. The grunt that caught us had enough confidence to turn his back on the two of us. I was going to make him regret that mistake by knocking him out with a slam from the flat side of my completed fusion sword, but the Guardian Corps member had other plans. Until she cut that soldier down in cold blood I didn't know if she would have it in her, sure she was in the military but many people who enlisted would never be able to end someone's life without a second thought. Some could find the ability to kill scary, but to me it was comforting knowing that Lightning would stop at nothing until she found her sister.

We had finally made it to the train station, and now I was in the back of the line watching a PSICOM soldier pickup my weapon off of the floor. The idiot tried to one hand it simply because he saw me do it, obviously he had never factored in that maybe normal people weren't meant to carry weapons like that so easily. Then again, I had seen no traces of mako since I had arrived here, that didn't make sense to me though. Just because I was in a different place wouldn't change the fact that mako made up all living things would it? That would have to be a question I asked either Lightning or someone else from Cocoon.

The sound of a male voice brought me out of my thoughts, "excuse me," the voice whispered. Both Lightning and I ignored it, but her azure eyes met with mine as we peered at each other to see how we reacted. The pinkette's face was as neutral as ever, but something about the way she turned her attention forward once more told me that she was content with the fact that I hadn't responded to the person behind us.

"Hey you two," the voice continued, "what gives?" I could see Lightning begin to turn her head to answer the male's question, so much for ignoring him. Then again, the person behind us probably wouldn't have stopped trying to talk if he hadn't gotten the hint the first time.

"We volunteered," I replied for the pinkette before turning to identify the person.

I was immediately greeted by the sight of a dark-skinned middle-aged man who sported an afro. The tone of his skin and the look of his age immediately reminded me of Barret, but this man was a little shorter and his complexion was a much lighter shade than the burly man that I knew. His fashion sense was also much better than Barret's as well. He wore a long olive colored coat on top of a white button-down shirt and khaki colored pants that lead into black boots.

"Really?" the man asked, "you two don't look ready to go quiet into that good night."

"If you want quiet, you better take the next train," Lightning interjected before we both returned our attention ahead of us.

"Well now I really want to see what you're up to," the man replied as he moved up the line with us.

After that the station remained silent only to be interrupted by the sounds of the PSICOM soldiers barking any necessary orders or reminders. Before we boarded the train we were given blue and white gowns that draped over our bodies like a poorly made blanket that kept us neither warm nor comfortable. However, nothing said 'enjoy the ride' like the handcuffs our arms were put in. Nothing was more enamoring than the idea of a 'mass evacuation' to jail. When we finally got on the train I was placed into a seat next to Lightning, and the man that met us in line sat next to me.

"So what happens next?" I whisper toward my companion.

"We wait and see," she replied as the train began moving.

 **Lightning's POV**

Since the second I stepped on this train I knew exactly what I was going to do, I just needed to wait for the right opportunity for me to surprise the guard in our train car. He patrolled up and down the room repeatedly to make sure nothing was amiss. His movements had allowed me to see that the mechanism that controlled our cuffs was held tightly in the grip of one of hands that was wrapped around his rifle. If nothing else, he would soon get bored and grow lazy which would allow me to take him out. Cloud was here to help, but I only really needed him to be able to get to this point, from here on out I could handle everything on my own.

A few minutes past as the train travelled down its set path at high speeds. The guard still wasn't getting sloppy, but that was to be expected. If something didn't happen soon though, I'd have to just take a chance. As if answering my prayers, the train slammed through something causing everyone inside the car to jolt violently, including the guard. I was immediately on my feet and sprinting toward my target. Flipping through the air, I wrapped my bound wrists around the the soldier's neck before snapping it which caused him to fall backwards and let go of both his weapon and the remote that kept my hands stuck together. Without missing a beat I slammed my heel onto the remote releasing me and everyone else.

The doors to our train car opened, but I was already flipping through the air when two fresh PSICOM units entered. I tossed the gown they had given me into the air to be used as a distraction, my enemies took the bait better than I could have imagined and soon the large piece of cloth was peppered with bullets. They didn't have any time to react when I landed directly in front of them and delivered a wide crescent kick that connected with the head of the first soldier to my left. The blow was backed with enough force to steal his consciousness from him and his partner to my right raised his weapon to fire at me. He was far too slow and I knocked the muzzle of his rifle away before spinning toward him and landing a swift backhand onto his skull.

Time was of the essence and I picked up one of the rifles dropped by my enemies before running toward the door that lead to another train car. The doors began to slide open and I ran in guns blazing, none of my initial shots hit thanks to the awful recoil these weapons had when one handed, but they forced a soldier out of cover. A swift kick to the jaw was enough to drop him, and I poured rounds into another enemy that made their presence known at the back of the car. I dropped my weapon before picking up another one that was laying at my feet.

It didn't take long before PSICOM units began pouring into the car I occupied and I snapped my fingers to activate the Grav-Con unit that was in the pouch I had strapped to my leg. The familiar feeling of artificial gravity at my fingertips enveloped my body and I used that to my advantage. I knew they'd lock down the train car doors to try and keep me in one area so I flipped backward and gripped onto an enemy's throat with my free hand before slamming them headfirst into the sliding doors. I then took their weapon and pushed off of their body to propel myself into the middle of the room to land a kick that sent another soldier staggering backward.

The artificial gravity coupled with the poor aim of the soldiers around me made me feel like I was doing target practice at a shooting gallery. Rounds whizzed past my head as I slowly spun and emptied bullet after bullet into the people that had become 'skilled' enough to become PSICOM military. The confrontation was over as soon as it started, and I landed gracefully on my feet. Soon the doors were unlocked and Cloud along with a few others poured in.

 **Cloud's POV**

"They all want to fight," I heard the man we met earlier tell Lightning.

Her response was an unimpressed, "good for them."

She yanked her weapon out from one of the containers above the seats, but she made no motion to hand me my own sword which was propped up against the wall next to the sliding doors she stood in front of. It was probably too big for the overhead containers so the soldiers just lazily left it on the ground. I strode past the pinkette and picked it up, it was better that she hadn't tried to hand it to me anyway, she probably would've just embarrassed herself.

I saw Lightning move to the window within seconds, probably to observe the area. I joined her as well and my eyes were greeted with the sight of a network of roads and buildings all seeming to float in a dark abyss. The lack of sunlight reminded me of the almost lifeless slums of Midgar.

Multiple aircraft zipped through the air with the sound of gunfire not too far behind. It turned out that we were all being evacuated to a warzone, what a surprise.

Two aircraft that had begun to get dangerously close to our transport were blown out of the sky by Lightning thanks to the rocket launcher she had taken from our unwanted companion. Unfortunately there were more from where those came from and multiple air units emerged from the cloud of smoke and debris.

The Guardian Corps member fired once more, but missed and the enemy veered off to remove a different train from its tracks. I couldn't do anything but feel almost helpless in this situation, without a ranged weapon I could only watch as several skirmishes took place on different roads. Many different kinds of creatures populated the area around us taking swings at anything that opposed them.

It wasn't long before something huge landed on our train. I couldn't see what it was exactly, but it didn't hesitate to blow a hole in the roof in an attempt to get to us.

"Run!" I heard someone yell, and Lightning and I did just that as we leaped through the hole in the ceiling.

Above we were greeted by an enemy I had never seen before, it was a gigantic white machine that was almost birdlike with two wings that had saw blades for claws and a very long tail that could possibly swat us all off of the train like flies. There were several spotlights coming off from it, but none were pointed at us.

I brought my weapon up to bear and out of the corner of my eye I could see that Lightning had done the same thing.

"They're sending in the big guns now," the man from before pointed out, "what do we do?"

"Watch and learn," was the pinkette's response and I couldn't help but smirk knowing that she had just explained what she would be doing.

I didn't know what this thing was capable of, but waiting to find out wasn't an option. With sword in hand, I dashed toward the large machine and leapt into the air to dodge a swing from its claws. Unfortunately I wasn't the only one with that idea and soon my momentum caused me to make contact with Lightning's body and we fell to the ground.

Unknown to me, she had the same idea and had jumped into the air at the same time I did. I rubbed the side of my head before she grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the way of another claw swing.

"Get out of my way!" she growled before returning to the offensive.

I merely grunted in response, she can claim I was in her way, but the reality of the situation was that she had been in mine.

Letting the thought disappear quickly, I charged toward the mech again and this time went for its underbelly with an underhand swing. My strike was cut short by the feeling of boots landing on my shoulders before someone used my body to propel themselves into the air.

I didn't even need to see pink locks of hair to know who had done it, and I had to bury my weapon into the train ceiling below us to make sure I didn't kill her on accident.

"Are you an idiot!?" I heard myself yell as Lightning landed strikes on the nose of our enemy.

She shot me a dirty look when she landed after her short barrage, and I had to shove her out of the way to avoid being struck by a laser that the machine was firing from its tail.

"I knew this wouldn't work," she said bitterly.

"Knew what wouldn't work?" I growled as I jumped over yet another electrical saw.

"You! You may not talk big, but you're still as useless as the others," the sword wielder spat as she switched her blade into a gun form and fired off a few shots.

"I'd love to help," I replied through gritted teeth as I blocked a laser bolt, "but if you're going to constantly be in the way, then there isn't much I can do!"

"I get in the way!?"

"Hey! Can we save the arguing until after we get rid of metal gear murder over here?" the stranger who now wielded two pistols asked.

The sound of saw blades scraping across the train ceiling made me decide to get back to the task at hand.

"I'll take the left side and you take the right!" Lightning and I found ourselves saying in unison. I felt her scowl aimed toward the back of my head as I took the left side, but no more words were shared as she went right.

All three of us fell into our roles in seconds and we were able to maneuver around without bumping into each other. Lightning and I would bait out strikes and the gunslinger behind us would blow holes through the metallic wings. The only things giving us trouble were the lasers being fired from the machine's tail.

Dodging another wave of projectiles, I exchanged glances with the pinkette.

"I've already measured twice," she shouted, assuring me we were on the same page.

Soon the long metallic appendage curled inward before moving in a sweeping motion headed straight for us. Sparks flew as it scraped across the top of the train, but it didn't get far before Lightning pinned it to the transport with her blade. A split second later I severed the mechanical tail from its body with one clean cut.

If it had the capacity to feel pain, now would be the time for it to show it. Only the sound of electricity crackling filled the air as the machine jumped backward and off of the train to create some distance between us.

I heard the afro sporting gunslinger laugh as he taunted the metal beast, "not so tough are you now?"

The mech responded with its jets humming to life as it dug saw blades into the train below us. It shook the transport violently causing the man to take back his words.

"Hey, that wasn't like a challenge now. All right?"

The machine didn't listen and instead began to lift up the train below us in an attempt to shake us off. All three of us retreated a few cars back, using different methods to get there. Lightning and I landed with grace, but our companion wasn't so lucky.

I momentarily watched the front end of the train plummet into the abyss below before Lightning's voice reached my ears.

"Heads up."

The machine was onto us again, flying to close the distance it had created. It landed with a loud slam that caused the area to shake violently once more.

We immediately fell into the roles we had assigned once more and returned to our attack. Its wings were badly damaged at this point and with its tail gone it had lost range capabilities, or so I thought.

The shielding on the nose of the machine began to slide open revealing a large cannon. My companions immediately opened fire and before it could charge anything I ejected one of the back blades of my fusion sword into my free hand. Extending the weapon's hilt, I dashed toward the cannon and spun diagonally through the the air like a top. My blades made quick work of the dangerous weapon and as soon as my boots touched the ground I jumped back to dodge the large explosion that followed.

The force of the blast alone was enough to knock the giant mech off of the train and it soon joined all those it had slain at the bottom of the abyss.

I heard the sound of Lightning sheathing her weapon, and I did the same after returning the back blade to its place. The nameless man that had joined us loudly caught his breath before doing something he did quite a lot, speaking.

"See what happens when we all get along?" he asked.

I didn't bother to acknowledge what he said, something told me that the look Lightning was giving him probably spoke for both of us.

* * *

A\N: Yikes! My downtime between chapters has been a bit longer than I would've liked and I apologize for that. Without going into all the details, I'll just say that my priorities got all muddled and I needed to take a small break from writing this fic. (Also Breath of the Wild came out and, well, I kind of just no life'd that game so.) I'm back now though! So rejoice, or feel bad, whichever is most applicable to you. :D

In all honesty, I had most of the chapter kicking around in my files, but I sat on it while I took a break. I came back to it expecting to torch it to the ground, but I actually ended up liking what I had so far. Hopefully you guys feel the same way!

This wouldn't be an official installment to The Mako-Eyed Warrior without me thanking iLady A for looking over things and setting me straight when necessary. So a big thank you to her! :D

As always, follow, favorite, and review! I've been getting many new followers despite not posting as regularly as I would like, and I thank you all for the support!

Until next chapter, peace!


	5. Ch 5: The Hanging Edge

**Chapter 5: The Hanging Edge**

 **Cloud's POV**

The integrity of the railways now being used as makeshift streets only got worse as we traversed them. Chunks were being blown off every other second by nimble aircraft in an attempt to neutralize any resistance below. I quickly found myself thankful for my two companions as their accurate gunfire managed to deter most aerial strikes that came our way. Once we had broken through enemy lines things became easier. It seemed the possibility of friendly fire was enough to scare off any more immediate bombardments on our position.

That certainly made things easier, but the ground units definitely weren't slouches. Even if you have all the experience in the world, automatic gunfire will always find a way to keep you on your toes. I had to admit though, it definitely didn't feel like PSICOM had much experience fighting other humans. One would assume that they sparred in controlled environments, I know Shinra grunts did something to that effect, but if that was the case it was clear that it hadn't translated well for some.

A hand signal from Lightning brought me back to the task at hand as we rounded the corner of a few stacked crates and engaged the five enemies she had pointed out: two standard grunts and three red and white quadrupeds. The two soldiers barely had enough time to shout in alarm before they were dispatched by gunfire, but the acute senses of the four-legged beasts guaranteed that they wouldn't be surprised by our entrance.

They immediately rushed toward us, but the linear tactic was something we were all prepared for. One made a move for my throat by pouncing into the air, its maw opened wide in preparation to sink its fangs into its target. Unfortunately for it, the last thing it tasted was the metal of my fusion sword as I split it in half.

The two remaining monsters were cleaned up by Lightning as she jumped forward and quickly spun in a whirlwind motion. Her saber sliced through the creatures' torsos and any howls of pain were cut short as their limp bodies made contact with the ground.

A slight nod came from the pinkette to signal that the area was clear of hostiles and we began moving forward again. She had made it painfully clear that she would be the one deciding when we did and didn't move after our run in with the mechanical beast on the train. The lecture she had given me was still fresh in my mind.

"Let's get one thing straight," Lightning began, "having six swords and being the most capable person in NORA doesn't mean you're suddenly leader. If you're going to help ME-" she pointed to herself to accentuate the word "-then you will listen to ME! Got that?"

I had simply nodded in response, but she didn't seem satisfied with that.

"So if I say that I'm taking the left side and you're taking the right side…"

"I get the message," I replied.

"Then answer!"

I let out a sigh of disbelief before responding in the most unenthusiastic tone I could muster, "I'm taking right side."

"Good to know that there is a brain under all of that hair," she stated dryly before walking off.

"Is she always like this?" the third member in our party asked from over my shoulder.

I decide that the shrug I gave him would have to suffice as I began following our new 'leader'.

Playing second fiddle to someone else was definitely not something I was used to, and It didn't help that my most recent endeavors on Gaia had me in the commanding role. However, when there is an army breathing down your neck, you learn to adapt really quick.

In all reality, I had no qualms with Lightning being in charge. She was right, I had elected to join her and help her out, and she definitely had more knowledge about this place than I did. Every step she took was full of purpose, and her facial expressions were as unreadable as blank pages. Those were already two important qualities necessary to lead fulfilled right off the bat.

Her taking point also meant that she chose all of our engagements, not that there was ever much choice. She wasn't heartless, but it was clear with each kill that she would stop at nothing to find her sister. That was something I could respect, I had been in her position before to some extent, and now I was certain that I had probably given off the same impression to any observers.

Our march was interrupted by the sight of an aircraft soaring through the air at a high velocity before it violently slammed into the pathway ahead of our position. Screams filled the air and the impact was so strong I immediately had to bring my arm up to shield my face from any small debris that were sent my way. A few seconds passed before it was over, but after the dust was settled we were presented with a new problem. The path ahead was completely obliterated leaving a large gap between us and the next leg to our destination.

"We'll have to find another way," I stated.

"There's no time," Lightning shot back.

"There's no oth-"

"Quiet!" she cut me off before stomping over to the edge of the path.

She had to be insane if she proposed to jump the humongous gap. I knew she would stop at nothing to get to her sister, but this was downright impractical. Certain that her realization that she was making a horrible choice was inevitable, I turned to look for another way around, but my attention was brought back to the pinkette as I noticed a spark of electricity out of the corner of my eye.

For a moment I had thought that she had stepped on some sort of frayed electrical wire and was now paying the ultimate price for it, but the sight of Lightning beginning to levitate assured me that wasn't the case. I had no real idea exactly how she was doing it, but our animated companion made sure I wouldn't be learning any more about the ability. The second the woman had left the ground he immediately latched onto her.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Wait! No, no don't leave me!"

"Let go!" the pinkette attempted to shove him off to no avail.

"Hell no, you and Spikey are my only way out of here!"

They wrestled for a bit longer and I contemplated prying them apart, but before I could make a choice Lightning had already returned to the ground. Of course that wasn't before she knocked the gunslinger flat with a knee followed by the back of her hand. She then snapped her fingers twice and I saw electric sparks once more, but she was cemented to the ground this time. Whether the ability was materia based or something else, I couldn't tell, but it was definitely something I made sure to make a mental note of.

"Thanks for the help," she called to me.

Deciding to avoid adding more fuel to the fire I presented a solution, "can't we use that to get across?" I asked before indicating toward another pathway that was extending and moving to meet with our side of the gap.

"Looks that way," she replied before walking past me once again.

Our companion got up to his feet and didn't look any worse for wear so I turned and began following once more. The fact that if Lightning had successfully crossed that gap meant that she would've abandoned us definitely wasn't lost on me, but now was not the time to discuss that. She probably would've brushed it off anyway, and I didn't need us to be at odds for the rest of this mission. Truth was, I was in too deep at this point and I needed her or else I'd be left to wander this network of rails forever. Whether or not she needed me definitely remained to be seen, but if she was really going to abandon me then it was clear that she didn't think so.

We headed up a flight of stairs before stepping onto a circular platform. Once all three of us were aboard Lightning activated the console which moved a screen into position for her to input a command. After a wave of her hand the platform began to lower closer to the path that had extended. We hopped off and were greeted by the site of a few more PSICOM grunts and a far more decorated person. Their suit of armor was much different than the ones the usual grunts wore. The red and white color scheme was traded for white and blue, and they wore what looked to be more like a long armored coat that went down to their knees. The helmet they dawned was far more angular than the standard ones, and to finish it off the special unit had a weapon that looked different than the batons I had gotten used to seeing.

"This is not our lucky day," the gunslinger pointed out the obvious, "you guys are soldiers right, can't you pull some strings?"

Our companion didn't get an answer as the PSICOM soldiers began their approach to meet us.

"Deportees are we?" the uniquely outfitted unit asked. He may have looked different, but his voice had the same tone and sound as the rest of the soldiers we had fought up to this point. "Weapons down, I'd hate for this to turn ugly," he continued with a slight growl in his voice before raising his weapon and extending it into a polearm.

"Then just keep the helmet on and we'll be all smiles," I called over while bringing my fusion sword up to bear.

That pried a chuckle from the man next to me, "so he does have a sense of humor."

The same probably couldn't be said for the soldier I had just insulted with his immediate response being to levitate in the air before charging directly at me with his comrades close behind. He opened with an overhead swing which I met one-handed with my sword. Using my free hand I reacquainted him with gravity by grabbing onto his leg and yanking him downward. He was unable to make another move in his disoriented state and my blade quickly pierced through his chest. I didn't even have to look up to know that the other two soldiers had been taken out by my companions and I returned my weapon to its place on my back.

"So, Soldier," the man with the afro indicated toward Lightning as we walked further down the platform, "what's your angle?"

Silence.

"What?" the man continued before interacting with a console that the group we had just fought used to control the platform, "is it classified military info? What does it matter? You quit, didn't you?"

There was still no response as I watched Lightning simply look away and then upward. I followed her gaze and was met with what looked to be an entrance to this place from above, but other than that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"You think I'm gonna go out there and just tell everybody your secret?"

This guy definitely was persistent, I'd give him that, but it was clear that the pinkette wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an answer, or so I thought.

"The Pulse fal'Cie," she stated.

I could tell by the way the man threw up his arms slightly along with the expression on his face that he didn't quite fully understand or believe what she meant.

"My angle," she explained as she turned to face him, "I'm after the fal'Cie."

Silence and a look of discomfort was her reply before the man shot me a look to help him out, "you too?"

I nodded, "I'm following her; if that's where she says we're going, that's where we are going."

"Still happy you tagged along?" Lightning inquired as I watched her stride over to the console and take hold of the lever before moving it along the indicated path. As soon as it clicked into place the extended path lowered itself and the platform began moving.

That conversation ended there, and a cursory glance showed how far apart we all were from one another. We were each standing near separate corners of the platform, it was a good indicator of how much we trusted each other. Learning about Pulse, l'Cie, and fal'Cie the night before had assured me that there was much more to this world than what met the eye, but I had not been prepared for what our train ride had lead to. Innocent people were being murdered at this moment by a military that was created to protect them. It was Shinra all over again.

"It's out-and-out massacre," I heard the gunslinger say as he observed the carnage below, "these people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse."

"That was the idea," if Lightning's tone of voice was anything to go by, it sounded like a realization. Something she had no idea about until that very moment.

"What?"

"Sanctum logic," she explained, "they conjured up the purge to eliminate a threat. I mean, why carry the danger all the way to Pulse? Why not just stamp it out here?" She paused for a moment to let us come to the same realization, "execution masquerading as exile. That's all the Purge ever was."

The gunslinger let out a chuckle that was devoid of any humor, "'Relocation to Pulse.' How does a government get away with pulling crap like that?"

It wasn't a question he expected either of us to answer, but it was one I felt I could had I wanted to. Hell, with the way things with Shinra went I could probably fill books about how a government can fool people into thinking they were working for their best interest. I kept silent as we grouped up at the edge of the platform, I never really cared for others' politics, and now being in a world that might not function like my own, I definitely didn't have the reason to start now.

"And you-" the man began once more "-you two knew this was gonna happen?"

Lightning shaking her head confirmed my suspicion that she indeed had only realized this now, "the Purge was PSICOM. Private Sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps."

"PSICOM, Guardian Corps… Soldiers are soldiers aren't they?" he paused to get an answer, but continued when he didn't get one, "Pulse fal'Cie, and their l'Cie, are enemies of the state. Tell a soldier to kill an enemy and you really think it's gonna matter what uniform he's wearing?"

"Might've mattered to the ones we've fought up to this point," I answered, "couldn't shoot, got themselves shot instead."

"How about you?" the man inquired, "orders say shoot, you pull the trigger?"

It was a good question, one I know I would've answered differently depending on when I was asked. However, it wasn't one I could really answer as much as I wanted to. I would like to believe that I made my own decisions at this point, I had gone to extreme lengths to prove that I was no longer a puppet, but the fact I was even here wasn't of my own volition. I had been brought here because I was 'needed' by someone or something else, and now I'm chasing something I can't even see but know exists.

"Fine, forget I asked," the man didn't bother to hide his frustration with my lack of a response as he directed his attention elsewhere.

A new enemy flying toward us served as an adequate distraction from my own musings. It was machine in nature with its design resembling something to the effect of a mechanical centaur. A shield was attached on one arm, and a weird u-shaped weapon served as the other. Probably the machine's equivalent of a fist that could spin all the way around. There was nothing notable about its orange and white color scheme, but different parts of its armor bore resemblance to the previous PSICOM unit we had just faced.

Lightning had been the first to notice its presence and called our attention toward it before opting for a direct approach. An electric whine filled the air as the mechanical creation met her sword head on with its own weapon. They exchanged blows with Lightning gaining more and more ground. Strength in numbers was an advantage we took control of almost immediately as the gunslinger fired round after round to keep our enemy's shield-bearing arm busy. When it tried to maneuver away with the jets on its legs I was there to keep it in place. With our teamwork it wasn't long before Lightning had severed its weapon and its head from the rest of its body before skewering it right through its torso for good measure.

As soon as the battle was over and weapons were back in their respective places, a sound akin to air raid sirens began to blare from all directions with a monotone voice following soon after.

"What's that?" our unnamed companion asked as he pointed to where I had seen Lightning staring earlier.

My suspicions of it being an entrance of some sort were immediately confirmed as panels began to slowly separate from each other and allow light from another area to flood in. More aircraft could be seen flying in and were soon accompanied by a large structure that was being pulled along by electric chains. It looked like a very odd piece of architecture with very rigid points coming off of it from many different areas. There was an eerie blue light that some parts of it held that seemed to almost flow through it, and its design somewhat reminded me of a human with their arms spread apart at shoulder height.

"Attention Purge deportees. Attention Purge deportees. Put down your weapons and surrender immediately. Your removal is the will of the people of Cocoon. Should you attempt to flee, the Sanctum will deploy every resource necessary to bring you to justice! This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."

Justice? I thought to myself before shaking my head, these guys always found some way to put themselves on the 'right' sides of history.

"Just what you were looking for," the gunslinger in our party breathed.

"Yeah. Right in there," Lightning replied.

"The Pulse fal'Cie. Huh."

We stood there and marveled at the structure a little longer in silence. It was good to finally see the destination directly in front of us, but now we just had to figure out how to get to it. Of course, I was certain our leader had winged it up until this point, but she had done a damn good job. It was easy to just take a backseat in all of this and just depend on someone else to figure it all out for you. At this point my job was to simply follow and help take out anything that got in our way, and it was almost nice to not have everyone around you depend on you for inspiration. Almost nice.

"So, how do you figure that Pulse fal'Cie is any different from the Sanctum's?" the man next to me asked no one in specific. "All things being equal, I'd just as soon keep wondering."

I heard a familiar chirp that I had not expected to hear any time soon, and I quickly turned my head to see what it was. To my surprise there was a chocobo chick standing in the palms of the gunslinger's hands. Had it been with him this whole time while we were climbing over debris and dodging bullets? I hadn't seen any chocobo since arriving on Cocoon so it was the only possible explanation.

"Time to jump," I heard Lightning announce which brought my attention back a few seconds before she dove off of the platform.

A quick glance assured me that this jump had a one-hundred percent chance of being fatal, so there was clearly something that the pinkette knew that I didn't. As far as I knew the only other option from up here was using the console to go back to where we had just come from, so the choice was simple.

I paid no mind to the gunslinger's displeasure as I ran forward and dove off of the platform in a similar fashion to the pinkette before me. I watched her descent as I followed after and sure enough she landed on one knee leaving a blue electrical bubble in her wake. Making sure my trajectory was correct, I executed a few flips to slow my descent before landing in the same fashion she had. Gravity didn't seem to exist in the bubble I landed on, and now the choice made sense.

My eyes made contact with Lightning's as I looked up from landing, and of course her expression was as devoid of emotion as ever. Well, except for the subtle eye twitch I caught before she looked up at the third member of our group. He seemed to be taking the slower approach deciding to dangle off of the edge of the platform before abruptly letting go.

I could understand the uncertainty of dropping hundreds of feet to what you believe to be certain death, but his method was definitely a lot less safe than just diving off. We could at least see where we were going to land, whereas he had his back turned toward the ground. Watching him fall with the grace of a brick was about as painful as it was comical, but he had managed to line himself up with the anti-gravity bubble Lightning had deployed so he'd at least survive.

When we were certain he'd be fine, we began moving at a much quicker pace down the railway. There was still some enemy resistance, but it was nothing we couldn't handle. Few words were shared other than the occasional remarks from our animated party member. With us working as an efficient team, it wasn't long before we had finally arrived at our destination.

We were greeted by a long corridor flooded by artificial light that twisted and turned here and there. The walls were quite plain, and the same could definitely be said for the floor. It was all the same aged stone color which made me wonder just how long it had existed.

After a short trek we made it to what I could only assume was a door of some sort. It took on a black color, but still had the same faded look the walls held. If you could look past the really bright red design that was glowing in front of it, you could barely make out the indentation where it separated.

We looked around for a few minutes and even backtracked a little to see if we could find some sort of mechanism to control the door. When our search came up empty we used the age old method of pushing on it or prying it apart, all the while the strange red design on the entrance continued with its eerie glow. It pulsed at a steady pace, never a second too long or too slow, almost like a heartbeat.

"Step back," Lightning commanded before equipping her saber and swinging away at the strange piece of architecture.

I watched as each hit glanced off of the dark material, not even a small scrape of damage being left behind. Physical methods felt like a fool's errand at this point, but I couldn't blame the pinkette for trying. She was doing everything short of asking politely, and it would only be a matter of time before she tried something absolutely ludicrous.

"Still won't budge?" the gunslinger asked, now sitting on the ground, "I think the door is winning."

The sound of metal clashing against abruptly stopped leaving the corridor dead silent. I expected the woman to turn around and tear the man apart any moment, but instead she asked a question, "Why didn't I listen?"

It wasn't a question directed at me or the man next to me, that was obvious.

"Uh, beg your pardon?" the gunslinger asked for clarification.

"It was me," Lightning replied, her voice holding emotion for the first time since she had interrogated me on the beach. "This is my fault"

"Beg your pardon?" the man asked again, even more confused.

"Cover your ears," the pinkette commanded, her voice back to normal.

The command was a little off putting to say the least, she didn't have any kind of explosives that I knew, but then again she could also defy gravity on command. Maybe she was just going to yell until she it opened or she lost her voice, whatever came first.

"Blast charge? Oh wait hold on!" our animated party member yelled before rushing away from the door and taking cover. "All right, go for it! Make it happen!"

I took a spot next to him in case it was explosives, but with much less… enthusiasm. I could feel Lightning's staring at me so I played along and put my hands up to my ears, but curiosity got the better of me. I moved my hands slightly the second I felt the ex-Guardian Corps drop her gaze, and I immediately wish I hadn't.

"I'm so sorry," I heard her begin with a voice so remorseful that her feelings were louder than the gunshots and explosions in the war zone just beyond the walls. "Please let me in. Please?"

A few seconds passed and it seemed the attempt had been all for not, but just as I was going to turn around and attempt to comfort the leader I had followed all this way, the structure around us began to shake. Sure enough by the time I had turned around, the doors were in the process of splitting unexpected movements and the sound of something heavy movement seemed enough to convince the gunslinger to rise from safety.

"What'd you-" he gasped, barely able to contain his amazement, "-How'd you open it?"

Naturally, Lightning didn't respond, and that didn't seem to upset the man any. Instead he simply followed her in with me tailing them shortly after.

The inside of the structure was certainly a sight to behold. I certainly felt like there was something almost sacred about it as I gazed over several immaculate staircases and structures. Not all of it had withstanded the arduous test of time, that was evident in the state several pillars and pathways were left in, but for the most part it had made out well. There was almost an aura that began to cling to me as I continued to progress inward with my group, and I couldn't help but relate it to the feeling I had when I first set foot into the Temple of the Ancients two years ago.

I probably would've been impressed- and maybe even in the same awe that the gunslinger displayed as he took it all in -if it weren't for the fact that I knew how Lightning had managed to open the doors. In that moment when she asked to be let in she seemed almost completely different, in a state that I wasn't supposed to see or hear. I had heard it, and the idea that I may have wronged her by doing so made me feel sick.

* * *

A\N: So, my downtime has been pretty bad... again. I want to say a quick thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story despite its infrequent updates and to those who have recently followed and favorited. I've been pretty busy with this college semester reaching its end and unfortunately it's about to get a bit busier. Finals are coming up, and I have to study for those bad boys along with a few other important things. Right now I'm definitely trying to shoot for at least one chapter every month, and I hope I can make good on that.

As always I want to thank the wonderful iLady A for looking over this chapter and making sure it's up to snuff. I felt a bit out of practice thanks to the unplanned time away from my writing, and hopefully that hasn't made too big of an impact. For all of you who love the Cloud x Light pairing and still haven't read iLady A's fanfic titled, "I'll Never Forget", I would highly recommend you go do that. She just recently released a new chapter and the writing throughout the story is top notch.

I am sorry for a shorter chapter than usual, but I really felt like not ending at this spot would be a wasted opportunity. I'll try to make up for it next chapter.

Be sure to favorite, follow, and review if you feel inclined, and I hope to see you all next chapter. Peace!


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